Mary's Revenge
by myownmind
Summary: Sequel to "The Collection". Mary isn't gone yet. She has plans for Spencer Reid and Aaron Hotchner. Hopefully they'll survive to bring her to justice, finally. Reading the first one might help but isn't necessary.WARNING: sexual and physical abuse.
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Criminal Minds. I am not making any money on this. It is purely entertainment. If I get something wrong, please let me know in a nice way and I'll try to fix it._

_Criminal Minds belongs solely to the creators, the actors and the writers. I simply like to borrow them on occasion. I promise to put them back in one piece, well maybe._

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the first part of this story. I hope you enjoy the sequel just as much!_

_Susanne_

MARY'S REVENGE

CHAPTER ONE

"How are you feeling today, Dr. Reid?" the psychiatrist asked from behind his big oak desk. Behind the desk was a wall full of wooden book shelves and books.

Sitting in front of the desk in a too large seat, Spencer tried to not fidget. He hated these mandated therapy sessions. He hated having to spend the entire fifty minutes talking about him. He hated having to relive the dreams, the pain and suffering that he'd gone through thanks to Mary West. But if he had to do it to get back in the field so be it.

"I'm fine," Spencer answered. His hip still ached abominably sometimes. It was usually when the weather was going to change, etc. At the moment the stupid thing was aching because he'd been sitting on it wrong. That was the last thing he wanted the doctor to see. He stared at the books behind the doctor. Absently he wondered if the man had even read most of them or if he kept them around to make him look more professional. Reid was sure it was the later.

"That's what you've said every time we start a session, Dr. Reid. We both know that it isn't always so," the psychiatrist said. He was an older man, about Hotch's age, who always had the habit of resting his elbows on the desk and pressing his fingers together in front of him. It didn't bother Reid the first time he'd had to sit through this but now it nearly drove him nuts. It was very condescending.

"Agent Hotchner said that the sentencing hearing is tomorrow. Are you going to attend?" Dr. Heinz asked. He'd been counselling both men and found that they were very similar. Hostile. Neither man appreciated having to sit through these sessions. If Dr. Heinz hadn't been sure they were helping he would have stopped wasting their time and his.

"I haven't decided yet," Reid answered. He hadn't. He knew Hotch was planning on going and that he'd offered to drive Reid down. At this point he still found driving difficult for long periods of time and the hearing was four hours away.

Reid wasn't sure he wanted to see Rachel again. There were nights when the sound of her voice was the only thing that brought him out of his nightmares but she didn't actually have to be there. He just imagined that she was. Well, not exactly her, just her voice. He still couldn't quite reconcile Rachel's voice with her face. Knowing that they still hadn't caught Mary made him nervous too. Mary had been the one to hurt him, to do unspeakable things to him and the other three men. Rachel had tried to help them.

"I think it would be very therapeutic for you to be there for Rachel Carson's sentencing. After all, she was the one that started the whole chain of events. Would you like to discuss the emotional after effects of having been raped?" The doctor looked at Reid above his tented fingers.

The man really was insufferable. He knew Reid hated talking about that. Talking about it made him uncomfortable despite what all the popular mental health papers said. Reliving the whole thing in his dreams was bad enough. He didn't want to have to psychoanalyse everything about it. He'd all ready done that on his own. But his superiors had insisted that both he and Hotch be here. They were worried about their mental well being after the terrors they'd both been subjected to at the hands of Mary West.

"No, I'm good," Reid said. There were still forty-five minutes left to the session. To the young genius it felt like an eternity. Unconsciously he'd been counting the seconds since he'd walked into the room. Only 2700 seconds left.

"All right," Dr. Heinz said as he made a careful note on Reid's file.

Damn it. Reid knew he was making a comment about him being uncooperative. Not a good thing. He needed to deflect the man's attention from that.

"Do you really think it would help, going to the sentencing?" Reid asked. If he wanted to get back out in the field he was going to have to play by their rules. Jump through their hoops. Another thing he hated. The only time he felt like his old self was when he was with the team, working a case. Right now that only happened when the case was in D.C. and they could run the board in the office.

"I do. I think it would be a very important step in your recovery," Dr. Heinz said. He made another note in Reid's file.

2400 seconds. It was still too long. Finally, Reid had to shift his position to ease the pressure on his hip. He saw the doctor make another note. The chair was too big and too hard. Every position he tried only made things worse.

"Are you all right, Dr. Reid?" Dr. Heinz asked. He'd seen the pain pass over Reid's face and had also seen him shifting around. "Are you still taking Tylenol for the pain?"

"I'm fine," Spencer said automatically. Then he saw the expression on Dr. Heinz's face. He wasn't improving his situation by being flippant. "Yes, my hip hurts sometimes. When it gets too bad I do take Tylenol. It helps a bit."

"I know about your drug addiction. Are you still worried about the after effects of the drugs the women put in you?" Dr. Heinz glanced up from his file. He wasn't stupid. He knew the young genius was only telling him what he thought he needed to hear to get his clearance back to go into the field. If he hadn't seen genuine progress he would have recommended more sessions but he had so he wasn't.

"No. I haven't had any increased cravings. The drugs had all ready left my system by the time we reached the hospital. The hospital staff was aware of my situation and handled my case accordingly," Spencer said. It was true. For the first couple of days he'd been worried. But he quickly realized that he was okay. He was very grateful that that had been the case. The thought of going back to the lying, evasive person he'd been while taking drugs chilled him to the bone.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. Have you been sleeping any better?" Dr. Heinz asked. Immediately after the kidnapping both men had had trouble sleeping. Reid had dreams about what was done to him. In some cases it was the only way he had to remember the acts of abuse. He'd been drugged pretty heavily with Valium and not been entirely aware. For Aaron the dreams were more about what was done to Reid, not what was done to himself.

Mary had forced Aaron to watch while she abused Reid. If he looked away or closed his eyes the woman would increase the violence and depravity of the abuse. Hotch had taken several days to finally forgive himself for Reid being raped with a sex toy. Mary had done it because he'd closed his eyes. The doctor had actually helped him with that.

"Yeah, I slept for an entire six hours last night without waking once. I don't even think I had any dreams, at least none that woke me up," Reid stated. It was the truth. He'd actually slept the last four nights in a row. At this point in his life it was a record.

OOOOO

Since returning from Matt dePape's kidnapping, Hotch and Reid had been assigned to desk duty. Between Reid's crutches and Hotch's sling they weren't field worthy. Even now Reid had to walk with a cane. Another thing he hated. But if he walked for too long without the stupid thing his hip ached. If he ignored that then the ache turned to a stabbing pain.

At the moment the rest of the BAU team was out of town on a case. In the two months since returning Reid had gotten into the habit of hanging out in Garcia's office during these times. He could monitor the situations and add his insights as they needed them without having to call him. At the moment though, he didn't even have that to lean on. Garcia had gone with them.

Feeling drained after the therapy session, as he always did, Spencer sat at his desk and tried to look like he was interested in the paperwork he'd been filling out. It was standard stuff that he usually never got to until someone in administration forced him to. While he enjoyed filling it out properly and the sense of accomplishment when it was done, at the moment it didn't do anything for him.

From his desk, Reid could see Hotch sitting in his office. Spencer knew that he too was chomping at the bit to get back out there. The physical therapy on his shoulder wound had been entirely successful. He just had to finish the requisite number of therapy sessions. Today was to be his last one as well. Unfortunately for both men, though, they had to wait for Dr. Heinz to fill out the appropriate paperwork and for it to be processed. That could have them sitting at their desks for two more days.

Standing up from his desk, Hotch stretched slowly, gingerly. After having being shot he found that he had to stand carefully. If he forgot and stood up suddenly the muscles over his shoulder would sometimes spasm. The pain was enough to bring him up short and it seemed to happen at the most inopportune times, usually when one of his subordinates was watching.

The last therapy session with Dr. Heinz had been agony. The man really was a pompous ass at times. Hotch wasn't sure how the man was with Spencer but most sessions he'd wanted to strangle him.

Thankfully, though, it was the end of the work day. Aaron hated not being out with the team but Morgan or Rossi would call him if they needed anything. Of that Hotch was sure. So far there hadn't been any such calls so he assumed they were doing all right.

Walking out of his office, Hotch made his way to where Spencer was still sitting at his desk, pretending to do paperwork. Paperwork was the bane of both men's existence. If it wasn't for paperwork they'd both be out in the field at this very moment.

"The hearing is at 11am. Have you decided whether or not you're going to come with me?" Aaron asked. He was really hoping the younger man would agree to come. He knew Reid didn't recognize Rachel, per se, or have as strong a connection with the woman as he did but it would still do them both good. Aaron hated the thought of Rachel Carson being sent to prison. He knew she'd committed a crime when she'd kidnapped Matt dePape but she was genuinely repentant.

Rather than putting all four of the men through the discomfort of a trial, Rachel had pled guilty. Her lawyer had argued with her, saying there were mitigating circumstances and until Mary West was found they had no real case against her. Rachel had fired her lawyer.

The judge on the case had waited two months before sentencing her. He had been hoping too that Mary would be caught. But that had not been the case. It was as if the woman had fallen off the face of the earth. Mary had gone to her bar before anyone thought to secure it, and taken every cent out of the cash register and safe. She'd been living off the grid ever since.

"Yeah, I think I would like to go. Dr. Heinz thinks it would do me good," Reid stated, a crooked grin on his lean face. "No, honestly, I'd like to go."

"Good, I'll pick you up at your apartment at six am. I don't want to be late if we run into trouble on the way out there," Hotch said, a slight smile curling the corners of his lips.

Aaron was used to being very serious at work. Since being forced to watch Reid being abused he was even more serious. He was grateful that he'd finally been able to start sleeping again the last two nights and that Reid didn't seem to be as embarrassed around him. Reid knew he'd seen it all. He knew that Hotch could tell him everything that had been done to him but Reid didn't ask. It was bad enough when new things came back to him in his dreams.

"Sounds good," Reid stated. Desperately he hoped they didn't have any problems. He wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. He was more than ready to put the whole thing behind him.

OOOOO

"How's the hip?" Hotch asked. The two FBI agents had been driving in silence since leaving the city. Until he'd seen Reid move out of the corner of his eye Hotch hadn't even been sure if Spencer was awake.

"Fine," Spencer said. In truth it was aching worse than usual at the moment. How the hell was he going to survive a four hour plane ride if a one hour car ride had him in this much pain? Spencer took some comfort from the thought that if he needed to he could stand up and walk the aisle of the plane. Here he just had to sit.

"I can see that it's not fine, Spencer. How is it really?" Hotch pressed. The doctors had said that the hip bone has healed but that arthritis might set it. Hotch wasn't convinced at the moment that the pain wasn't primarily psychosomatic. Reid had spent too much time hating himself for allowing Mary to do what she'd done to him. Hotch wouldn't be surprised if the pain wasn't Reid's unconscious way of punishing himself.

"Sore," Reid admitted. To prove the point he rubbed at the offending bone. It didn't help. "Do you think we could stop for a few minutes so I could walk around?"

"Sure. There's a rest stop just up ahead. I could use some fresh air too," Hotch said. The muscle over his shoulder was starting to tighten. Since coming back to work that was sometimes the signal that he was about to have another migraine. The damned things had been coming more often. Aaron checked his jacket pocket to make sure he had his medication with him. Luckily he'd planned that before going to sleep last night.

Aaron pulled the car up at the rest stop and put it in park. With a sigh of relief, he climbed out of the vehicle and stood outside it, leaning against the closed door. He watched as Reid carefully extracted himself from the passenger seat and then spent a few moments walking around. At first he was limping, because the kink wouldn't go away. But the more he moved, the less it hurt.

"Ready?" Aaron asked after ten minutes. They were ahead of schedule but he still didn't want to take the chance of having a flat tire or something between here and there.

"Yeah, thanks," Reid said as he moved back to the car. Before he climbed inside he pulled a small container of Tylenol out of his messenger bag and popped two of the tablets into his mouth. He was admitting defeat. The pain was worse than he'd anticipated and he needed to take even a little of the edge off.

OOOOO

The hearing went by quickly. Hotch was somewhat surprised to see that he and Reid were the only victims that had bothered to show up. Matt dePape and his mother, Cathy, were absent from the crowded court room as were Jared and his brother, Dave. The bounty hunting brothers hadn't surprised Hotch. Based on their nomadic lifestyle they could be anywhere in the country at the moment. Hotch also had the feeling that overprotective Dave wasn't going to let Jared anywhere near the town where he'd been kidnapped and abused by Mary.

While the proceedings wrapped up, Aaron glanced around at the other people sitting in the old wooden benches. Beside him Reid was fidgeting uncomfortably. He had the feeling it had more to do with the hard, wooden surface of the bench than the fact that Rachel Carson sat three feet away from them.

Between Rachel and where they were seated, Hotch recognized Rachel's parents and her two brothers. The family resemblance was unmistakable. The other people in the gallery were there to rubber neck. The kidnappings had been the talk of the small town for several weeks. The spectators had hoped that some of the gory details would be revealed during the sentencing but thanks to Rachel's guilty plea that was not to be.

Rachel looked leaner than the last time Hotch had seen her. Her brown hair was a little longer and less shiny, her face was gaunter and her clothes hung on her frame. Yes, she had lost weight but hadn't had time to buy new clothes before the hearing. From what he'd been told, the woman had stayed in custody since being arrested. She refused to let her family post bail.

Her eyes on the judge, Rachel didn't look around the court room at all. She was ashamed of how many of the faces in the gallery she recognized. People from her town that she had considered to be casual friends and acquaintances were here to see her get sent to prison. She knew that only her parents and brothers were here to support her. The rest were just gawkers, sight seers.

When the guards had brought her into the room she hadn't looked around and so hadn't seen Hotch and Reid. That was probably just as well. If she had she would have turned the most spectacular color of red in embarrassment.

Almost apologetically, the judge sentenced Rachel to three years in prison. Rachel's mother sobbed at the announcement but Rachel sat quietly and waited to hear if the judge had anything else to say.

"I see that two of the survivors are in the gallery. Do you have anything to add?" the judge asked. He'd recognized the two FBI agents from the file. He was somewhat relieved to see them, especially since they didn't appear to be hostile.

Embarrassed that they'd been singled out, Hotch glanced at Reid. The young profiler seemed to be trying to burrow his way through the back of his chair when all the faces in the room turned toward them. Aaron's eyes were drawn to motion in front of him. He was immediately drawn to Rachel's dark brown eyes. She was looking at them, a flurry of emotions playing across her face.

Clearing his throat, Hotch stood up, his eyes still on Rachel. "I do have one request, sir. Would it be possible for Dr. Reid and myself to escort Rachel to prison?"

It had come out before he'd taken the time to think about it. Immediately Hotch was embarrassed by his outburst. That was not proper procedure. Besides, what did he expect from the woman during the trip? Ripping his eyes from Rachel's stunned face, Aaron looked down at Spencer. The profiler was clearly shocked and very uncomfortable with his suggestion.

The judge took a few moments to answer. He scanned the crowd, registering the animosity from several of the faces. Having an FBI escort might not be such a bad thing. People in his town were known to occasionally take things into their own hands.

"Deputy Cullen was assigned that duty," the judge stated. In actual fact the young deputy had requested the assignment. "But I think he might enjoy the company. If you will remain behind after the court room is cleared we'll work on the details."

"Thank you, sir," Hotch said. What the hell was he thinking? He and Reid still needed to drive the four hours back home. They were expected at work the next morning since today was Thursday. Now he'd just volunteered them to drive another two hours up to the prison Rachel had been sentenced to.

"I'm sorry," Hotch said much quieter to Reid as he sank back down into the seat. "I don't know what came over me."

Reid was silent for a few seconds. He was staring at Rachel as the woman was led out of the room, her hands and feet in shackles. There was something about the woman that was drawing him to her. Spending some time with her before she was put behind bars might be a good thing. "It's okay, Hotch, I think you might have the right idea."

OOOOO

Deputy Cullen, the same young deputy that had shadowed Rachel ever since she had climbed out of the trap door in the cabin, was driving. They were in an unmarked police car. Apparently the judge had been worried about reprisals from his good citizens. Spencer was in the passenger seat where there was more room for him to stretch in while Rachel and Hotch were in the back seat.

Rachel had asked if she could sit on the passenger side. Hotch had seen relief on her face when he'd said okay. Now that they'd been traveling for half an hour without making a sound, Aaron decided to find out why.

"Do you have an aversion to sitting behind the driver?" Aaron asked. He'd been stealing glances at the woman like a school boy but had yet to look her directly in the face. He did this now, turning his body, despite the twinge in his shoulder, so that he could see her face clearly.

"Um," Rachel said, uncomfortable under the scrutiny. "I don't like sitting there because I can see myself in the rear view mirror. Why did you ask to come with us?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted to talk to you before you go to jail," Hotch stated. He felt like a school boy. It wasn't a good feeling.

"After everything that was done to the two of you because my kidnapping Matt, you want to talk to me? I would have thought you would rather shoot me," Rachel said, her cheeks turning a slight tinge of red.

"I don't blame you. You didn't hurt anyone despite kidnapping Matt. You used the least violent method possible to kidnap him and then you spent the rest of your time cleaning up after Mary. I don't have any feelings of animosity towards you," Hotch said.

"I think we're being tailed," Deputy Cullen stated from the front seat. He'd been watching because of the judge's concern. He was sure he'd seen the same dark coloured SUV following them since they left town.

They were driving through a heavily wooded area. The road was virtually deserted except for the vehicle shadowing them. The trees came up to within a few feet of the shoulder. There were the occasional logging roads that intersected with the two lane highway but they were even few and far between.

"Are you sure?" Hotch asked. He turned in the seat to scan the road behind them. As he did, they passed one of the logging roads. Another SUV came spinning out of the road, broad siding the police vehicle at full speed.

The only thing the passengers of the car heard after that was squealing tires, shattering glass and screaming metal. Then the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello! Thank you very, very much to everyone that has reviewed! You know I love to hear from you. Also, thank you to the people that have added this story to your alerts. I just hope I don't disappoint._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWO

The SUV continued to push against the car, grinding it along the road until it was off the pavement and several feet along the adjacent logging road. The driver didn't want anyone to interrupt his plan. From his position in the driver's seat of the SUV, he could see that the passengers inside the vehicle were all unconscious. Well, that worked for him too.

Finally far enough along the road for the driver of the SUV to feel safe, he pushed on the brake and brought both vehicles to a stop. Jumping out of the SUV, the driver made his way to the front driver's door. The passenger side of the car was virtually obliterated. The passengers were leaning over toward the driver's side. At first glance he couldn't tell if they were alive or pinned but they weren't his primary focus at the moment.

The SUV that had been trailing the car pulled up. The driver's door opened and Mary climbed out, a wicked grin on her face. "Are they alive?" she asked as she moved to join the man. She relished looking at all four passengers while they were unconscious and vulnerable. Gratitude toward Rachel, for introducing her to this new and wonderful world, almost made her feel bad about what she and her brother had just done. Almost.

"Don't know yet," the driver said. He shattered the driver's side window with a crowbar. The fact that Deputy Cullen's head was resting against it didn't even send out an alarm in the man's mind. Reaching through the window, he felt the side of Cullen's throat. "This one is."

Unceremoniously, he opened the door and pulled the deputy out, dumping him in the dirt. The man's face was covered with blood from a scalp wound along his hairline. A bruise was all ready starting to appear along the left side of his jaw line. He was alive, that was all that mattered.

Then the driver moved to the rear door. Hotch was slumped over toward the passenger side, his upper body over top of Rachel. He didn't hear or feel the glass as it shattered and rained down on him when Mary's brother used the crowbar on it.

"Please tell me he's alive," Mary said as she stared down at Hotch's inert body. It had taken a long time to get the man alone, without one of his BAU friends hovering.

The last thing Mary wanted was to have killed Aaron too quickly. She had far too many plans for the man she believed responsible for her kid brother's death. Mary and her brother, Doug, were of the same mind where that was concerned. Otherwise she wouldn't have had anything to do with the older man. Doug had left her family as soon as he could.

In retrospect Mary didn't really blame him. They were pretty screwed up but family was everything. If she hadn't desperately needed a place to stay after escaping from the cabin she would have never sought him out three states over in a small, isolated homestead in the woods. When she'd pulled up to the front of the house, Mary had been surprised just how much it looked like the bootlegger cabin she'd just left.

"Yeah, he's still here," Doug said. The agent's pulse was beating under his fingers strong and steady. "Do you want the others too?"

"Of course," Mary purred as she looked into the passenger side of the vehicle. "I like playing with young Spencer a little too much and Rachel has a lot to answer for. I was only planning on taking Agent Hotchner, these three are bonuses. They'll keep us both amused longer."

OOOOO

Deputy Cullen and Hotch were easy to pull out and secure with long, tight ropes. Then they were forced rather ungently into the rear compartment of the SUV. Mary and her compatriot didn't care if they injured them further. So long as they didn't die it was all good. It amused Mary to see that Hotch had wound up on top of the deputy. Of course Hotch would want to be on top, in control. It was what the man lived for.

Looking closer at the deputy, Mary realized she knew the man. Jack Cullen. She and Rachel had gone to school with him. He'd been in one of the grades between the two women. Mary hadn't thought much about him, he was kind of short and lean for her tastes, but Rachel had known about him. In fact, Mary thought the younger woman had had a crush on him. Well, they were about to get to know each other a whole lot better.

Returning to the smashed car, Mary and her brother, Doug, took a better look at Rachel and Spencer. Rachel's head was bleeding from somewhere above her hair line but she was still alive. Pulling her out of the car, Doug dragged her over to the SUV and tossed her in the back seat. By the time he got back, Mary was tried to pull Reid across the seat to the driver's side.

"The son of a bitch is caught," Mary growled as she continued to pull on Spencer's arms. Looking into the passenger compartment, Doug could plainly see that the metal of the door had pinned Reid's right leg between it and the seat. Blood was colouring the young man's pant leg as Mary continued to pull on him.

"We have to pry him out. Do you really want him?" Doug asked as he picked up the crowbar he'd used to break the windows. If his sister didn't want him, Doug wasn't going to waste any more time on him. They needed to get out of here before anyone happened along. The lumber roads were notorious for being seldom used but with their luck that was likely to change.

"Yes. He's so much fun to play with while Hotch is watching. If we can get him out without too much trouble, let's do it," Mary said. She was staring at Reid's unconscious face. Blood trickling from a shallow cut across his forehead marred his clear, handsome appearance. Suddenly, she wanted him too. "On second thought, we need to get him out of here. I don't want to leave any evidence behind."

OOOOO

The first thing Hotch became aware of was that his head felt like it was two sizes too big. It was the beginning of a migraine. Not what he needed at the moment. The left side of his temple to his jaw pulsed to the beat of his heart and was a little sticky. He tried to move his arms and legs to see how badly he'd been injured only to discover that he couldn't. It was then he felt the ropes wrapped around his arms and legs. He was tied up.

Memories of Mary and the things she'd done to Reid and Hotch tried to force their way into the here and now. Hotch forced them into the far reaches of his mind. That was something he really didn't need to be dealing with at the moment. Hotch opened his eyes only to find that it was dark. He wasn't sure whether it was because of it being night or if he was in a space with no light. Not that it mattered a whole lot either way.

The events leading up to Hotch waking up came back to him. Deputy Cullen had said they were being followed just before their vehicle was struck. Obviously the two vehicles were connected somehow. Otherwise the Unit Chief would have woken inside the damaged car or an ambulance. Not in the dark, not tied up.

Then Hotch heard the voice, the voice from his nightmares. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying but he'd recognize Mary's voice anywhere. Fear began to gnaw at Hotch's stomach while it slid down somewhere around his knees. Suddenly Hotch's headache threatened to get worse.

Quietly and carefully, Hotch took a quick inventory of his body. His neck and shoulders were sore with a mild case of whiplash. Pain flashed through his head when he moved it too much. He learned very quickly not to do that, it sent flashes of red light through his vision. He could feel a couple of minor cuts from what he assumed had been glass but otherwise he seemed to be intact.

During his examination, Hotch had become aware of the fact that he as lying on top of someone. He tried to get off of whoever it was but there wasn't enough room in the vehicle. Aaron knew he was in the back of a vehicle because he could feel the rough carpeting under his hands and the amount of space available. He estimated it to be about the size of an SUV.

Hotch had the sense that the vehicle was moving. He could feel the vibration of the wheels as they ran along the pavement and the murmur of the engine. He could also feel the gentle sway of the vehicle while they made their way around corners. The corners were too gentle and long to be in the city. They were somewhere in the country. Hotch was really beginning to hate the outdoors.

A low groan by his right ear told Hotch that his mattress was waking up. It didn't sound like Reid, for which Hotch was grateful, so it must be Deputy Cullen. He was the only other man in the car. Distantly, Hotch wondered where Rachel and Reid were. He doubted that Mary would leave them behind. She took too much pleasure in abusing people. She wouldn't leave anyone behind.

Deputy Cullen shifted underneath Hotch's body. The law enforcement officer was a good two inches shorter than Hotch and probably thirty pounds lighter. Hoping the roaring of the engine and the distance between them and the front seat would cover the sounds of his movements, the Unit Chief tried to get his body off of the other man's.

Between the two of them they managed it. But it left Deputy Cullen lying on his right side with Hotch pressed firmly up against his back on his right side as well. There wasn't enough room for them to do anything else.

"Are you all right?" Hotch asked quietly. He was surprised that Mary hadn't bothered to gag them or cover their eyes. Either she was devolving or she didn't intend for them to get out of this alive. Both possibilities were disturbing.

"Yeah, I think I hit my head in the crash and have a few cuts and bruises but that's about it. Where are the others? What the hell is going on?" Cullen asked in a very low voice. He had a suspicion he knew what was going on but he was hoping desperately he was wrong.

"We were ambushed. I can hear Mary's voice up front. I'm not sure where Reid and Rachel are," Hotch stated. He was trying to see something, anything in the dark. If it was night time there should still be light from the moon or the stars. But where they were was pitch black. Then another thought occurred to him and his disquiet grew worse. "Is it dark out?"

Hotch felt Cullen shift against him, as if Jack were turning to glance at him over his shoulder. "No," Deputy Cullen said. Hotch didn't need to see to hear the fear in the younger man's voice. "Why?"

"I can't see anything," Hotch admitted. The disquiet was turning to out and out fear, even terror. Had he hit his head that hard or was it part of the migraine that was starting to take effect? It didn't matter which option it was. It meant his vision wasn't going to clear up anytime soon. Under his breath, Hotch swore vehemently. Things just kept getting better and better.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Do you think we have to worry about them waking up?" Doug asked. He was driving as carefully as he could manage in his agitated state. He'd never considered doing anything like this in his life but he loved his sister. He'd do anything for her. Even commit a crime.

"You hit them pretty hard," Mary said as she glanced back at Rachel and Spencer in the back seat. All of her toys were tied up so even if they did wake up they should still be manageable. "We should be fine until we get home."

"What are you going to do with them?" Doug asked. His mind had conveniently caused him to forget all the terrors he'd visited on his sister and her friend Rachel. It made absolutely no sense to him that she would want to hurt these men and Rachel. There was a dark spark in Mary's dark eyes that unnerved him.

"Anything I want," Mary stated. She looked over her shoulder at tender young Spencer. The boy was absolutely beautiful. She wasn't sure she could wait the six hour drive back to the homestead. He just looked so absolutely delicious. So vulnerable. She loved it.

"I know that Danny was killed by Federal Agents. What I don't know is why. He was a little gun crazy and paranoid but I don't think he ever did anything illegal," Doug said as he drove. He'd seen the two men in the back shuffle around. He watched carefully to see if they were loose but they didn't appear to be so he chose to just keep an eye on them.

"It doesn't matter. They killed him. That's all that matters," Mary spat. Another glance over her shoulder, and Mary saw young Reid move. It appeared he was beginning to wake up. Pain flashed over his pale, sweat slick face. Then his brown eyes flickered open and promptly slammed shut again. The grimace reappeared and stayed there. He looked so damned cute when he was in pain. The thought kept playing through Mary's mind.

"How much longer do we have to drive?" Mary asked. She wanted to stop, right now. But she also wanted to get as much distance as possible between the accident and where they were going. The more distance they travelled without stopping, the fewer clues they left behind.

"We've been driving for about two hours. We still have four to go. Why?" Doug asked. They'd left the main highway headed for the prison Rachel was supposed to go to. The road they were following was more of a roundabout way but it was much less frequently travelled. They were less likely to be seen and if they had to stop to wrestle someone into submission it too should go unnoticed.

"We need to stop for a few minutes. Agent Reid is waking up," Mary stated.

Spencer's eyes flew open as her voice registered. His large, brown orbs searched frantically before they came to rest on Mary's face, hovering over the head rest. Fear burned like ice through the young genius's body. How could this be possible? Mary had gone into hiding months before. How could she be here, in the same vehicle with him?

The pain from Spencer's hip tried to push the terror aside, to get his attention. Sucking breath between his teeth, Reid blinked, hoping desperately he was hallucinating. What he remembered of his time in captivity still woke him out of a dead sleep, his clothes soaked in cold sweat. Just the sound of Mary's voice was enough to bring it all back.

"Good morning, sunshine," Mary said, a broad smile on her face. She reached out and ran her hand along the side of Reid's face. The young man shuttered and tried to pull away. The back of the seat kept him from getting too far.

"Ah, you remember me," Mary purred. Her hand travelled from Reid's face, down his neck and along the top of his shirt.

"Don't touch me," Reid breathed. He knew that Rachel was lying across his legs, effectively pinning him and causing the pain from his hip to steadily increase. He could feel that his hands and feet were tied, further preventing him from finding a more comfortable position on the back seat. What he wouldn't give to have the use of his hands at the moment.

"Oh, but I love touching you, baby," Mary said, her hand now resting along the top of Reid's waist band. Revelling in the disgust of the young man under her spell, she slipped her fingers inside. All she felt was more material but Reid had begun to shake ever so slightly. Forcing her whole hand between the layers of fabric, she felt the young genius move from a slight tremble to an all out shivering.

"Leave me alone," Reid growled between clenched teeth. Ignoring the pain and the ropes, he pulled away from Mary's hand, burying himself further under Rachel's still unconscious body. The resulting pressure brought tears of pain to his eyes but it was significantly better than the feel of Mary's rough, dry flesh.

"That's not going to happen for quite some time," Mary said. Without giving the young man any warning at all, she brought her hand back and slugged him as hard as she could on the side of his head. Darkness descended on the young genius.

"Should we stop?" Doug asked. He'd watched in the mirror as his sister had molested the young man. The thought that he'd enjoyed watching it and Reid's reaction disturbed him. Maybe he was more like Mary than he was willing to admit.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Mary said as she scanned Rachel and then what she could see of Hotch and Cullen beyond the back of the rear seat. Even though there was little chance that they'd be seen, she wanted to make absolutely sure that no one noticed them. "Let's make sure everyone's asleep for the remainder of the trip."

Finding a narrow trail along the edge of the road, Doug pulled into it and drove for several feet to provide them with cover. He slowed down and put the vehicle in park. Then they both stepped out and made their way to the back of the SUV.

As they walked, Mary pulled a small black case out of her jacket pocket. She carefully filled a syringe with liquid from a small bottle. Flicking the end of it, she then sent some of the liquid out the needle. The last thing she wanted was for them to die from injecting air into them.

Once Doug popped the hatch, she let him move in on the two men inside. As soon as the hatch was clear, Hotch pushed with his legs, trying to knock whoever it was out of the way. Mary wasn't sure what he was planning to do after that because he'd still be tied but the move caught Doug unprepared. As her brother stumbled backward, Mary slipped in and quickly injected Aaron in the side of his neck.

Almost instantaneously, the Unit Chief went slack and his dark brown eyes rolled up inside his head. Not wanting to waste more of the drug on Deputy Cullen, Mary stepped aside and let her brother strike him upside the head. The first blow wasn't hard enough, however, leaving Cullen only slightly dazed while he struggled to do something, anything to try to escape. Growling under his breath, Doug struck again, only harder. Darkness descended on Cullen.

"That ought to get us most of the way home," Mary stated as she looked down at the two men. A smile played across her face. Aaron was so serious and intense, yet when he slept he looked so much younger. She supposed it was because his penetrating dark eyes were closed, belaying their strength and power. She very much liked him with his eyes closed. Cullen, well, she would play with him when she got bored of the other two. Humming quietly, Mary headed back to her seat. This was going to be so much fun.

OOOOO

The world came back to Rachel slowly. At first it was full of muffled sounds and darkness. Then she felt the cuts and bruises marring her body. Well, that was something she was getting used to. She was an easy target in jail. This was probably the second or third time she'd awoken from being knocked unconscious to find bruises she hadn't had before.

What didn't make sense was that there was something soft and warm underneath her, not the hard, cold floors of the jail cell Rachel shared with another inmate. Another thing that didn't make sense was the sense of movement. Then it came back to her, the sentencing, the trip to the prison, Aaron, Reid, and Jack and the fact that they were being followed. The actual crash was nonexistent in her mind, though, but that had to have been what happened.

Opening her eyes, she expected to see the twisted confines of the undercover police car. Instead she found the perfectly intact back of a chair in front of her. Looking down, she saw Reid under her. When she tried to get off him, to stop causing him pain, she felt a hand fall down on her shoulder, stilling her movements.

With her eyes, Rachel followed the hand all the way up to the face hovering over the back of the chair. Shock flowed through her body and mind. Mary. The last person in the world she wanted to see. Then she remembered Reid and Hotch. Seeing the twisted grin on Mary's face, Rachel knew it wasn't all a dream.

"No, no, no, no, no," Rachel muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes and felt despair wash over her. This couldn't be happening twice. Surely God wasn't that cruel to the young man she was laying on and undoubtedly Hotch somewhere nearby?

"Oh, yes, dear Rachel. I'm back and this time you won't be able to talk me out of doing anything. So sit back and enjoy the trip. It'll probably be all the sleep you're going to get for a while," Mary said. The self satisfaction in her voice set Rachel's nerves on edge.

"Go to hell!" Rachel hissed. She didn't take time to think about it. She just knew that Mary couldn't be driving because she was leaning over the back of the chair. With every ounce of strength she possessed, Rachel brought her tied feet up and kicked at the place the driver's head should be.

Immediately she was rewarded by Mary's head disappearing and feeling the vehicle they were in swerve to the left while the driver tried to recover from the blow. Her legs still on the edge of the seatback, she tried to kick again but a strong hand caught hold of her and threw her legs back down onto the seat she was lying on.

"Do that again, Rachel and I'll kill young Spencer," Mary grated as her head came back up over the seat. In her hand was a syringe and needle filled with an off colour liquid. It was a large syringe, probably ten CC's. Whatever was in it would be enough to kill the young profiler lying underneath her.

"Why are you doing this to them again?" Rachel asked. She couldn't believe that the young girl she grew up with had turned into this cruel, evil woman sitting in front of her. The young, innocent Mary still had to be buried somewhere inside that cold, twisted interior.

"I wasn't finished," Mary said a smile on her face. "There are so many more areas to explore."

"Areas of what?" Rachel asked. The driver turned and looked at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. Under the tread mark Rachel had left on his cheek, she recognized Mary's oldest brother. One of her tormentors. The despair deepened and threatened to cut off her air.

"Torture, of course," Mary stated. The smile never left her face.

_A/N: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the rest of the BAU. They will be making an appearance in the next chapter, which might be up tomorrow or the next day. If you enjoyed this chapter, PLEASE, let me know. This is as close to begging as I get when looking for reviews! ;)_

_Thank you to stongeagequeen, masondixon and Lenni George for taking the time to let me know what you thought of the last chapter. I really do appreciate it._

_Thank you also to the readers that have added this story to your alerts and favourite stories. That makes me smile too._

_Susanne_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you ever so much for all the wonderful reviews!! I guess begging works, I'll have to do it more often. ;) _

_Another slow chapter but it is leading somewhere, honest! _

_I should have mentioned this before but I've based Sheriff Hicks on Dwayne Hicks from 'Aliens'. Mostly it's because I also have a thing for Michael Biehn. So many men, so little time!! Anyway, no copyright infringement was intended. I find it easier to write when I can see the characters' faces and so I pick my favourite actors. Makes sense, right? Maybe?_

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER FOUR

"Hey, guys, has anyone heard from Hotch or Reid? The sentencing hearing should be over by now," Morgan asked. The other members of the BAU were pouring over police reports while Penelope worked on two laptops at the same time.

They were on a case of kidnapped teenage boys. All the signatures pointed to Mary West. The twins were young, handsome and were evidently run over with a car before being kidnapped. It was the case that had dragged them away from Hotch and Reid when their friends needed them the most. It disturbed him that they hadn't heard from either man.

"No. The hearing was at 11am today and finished at 11:25am. There's been lots of time for them to call," Penelope stated. She had the time table for the court in the corner of one of the laptops. In another corner she had a copy of the local newspaper but it was the morning edition.

"Has anyone tried their cell phones?" Rossi asked. He hated to admit that he was too busy trying to figure out the current case to have tried. Now that his attention had been drawn to it though, he realized something had to be up.

"I've texted both of them," Morgan admitted. He still had a great deal of guilt hidden away inside his mind about Hotch and Reid's captivity. Unconsciously and consciously, he believed he was responsible for keeping the other members of his unit safe. In the two men's cases he'd failed miserably. "Neither one had gotten back to me."

"I'll pull up their locations," Penelope offered. Without waiting to see if Rossi approved, she entered the two agents' cell phone numbers into the appropriate boxes. Within seconds a topographic map appeared on her computer. "This doesn't make sense. They're together but on an unpaved road. They're not moving."

Morgan, J.J., Emily and Rossi huddled around the screen, trying to take in all the information there in a single glance.

"Where the hell is that?" Morgan asked. On the screen two symbols flashed on top of each other on a small road beside a highway. The highway wasn't one he was familiar with so it made no sense that Reid or Hotch would be there.

Penelope was typing frantically on the keyboard. A larger view of the map appeared showing the small city where the hearing was being held. The highway ran right through it. Pulling back even further, Garcia finally found where the highway led to.

"Why would they be going there?" Garcia asked no one in particular. There were a number of small cities along the highway, none of which would pull the FBI agents in their direction. There was, however, a medium security women's prison about two hours along it. "Did Hotch say anything about escorting Rachel to prison?"

"Why would they do that?" Morgan asked. That didn't make any sense at all to him. After what the two men had lived through, why would they want to be anywhere near the person ultimately responsible for them being there in the first place?

"Hotch felt for her," Rossi stated. He knew his friend and superior would never admit it but he had feelings for the woman. "I can see him wanting to make the transition from city jail to federal prison as easy as possible for her."

"If they are helping to escort her, why has it taken them three hours to travel half an hour's distance?" J.J. asked. Her alarm bells were ringing too. Something was very wrong. 'Not again' kept trumpeting through her thoughts.

"I'll contact Sheriff Hicks. In the meantime, keep working on finding the twins," Rossi instructed. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, the older agent left the room they were using as their headquarters and stepped outside the building. It was noisy and chaotic within its confines and he wanted to make sure he could hear what the local sheriff had to say. Bringing up the phone number out of his contacts, Rossi dialled it and waited.

"Sheriff Hicks," the familiar voice stated after six rings. The man sounded slightly out of sorts and frustrated at the interruption.

"Sheriff Hicks. This is David Rossi of the BAU, I was wondering if you had any idea where Agent Hotchner and Reid are?" Rossi asked. He hated admitting that he didn't know where his boss was, much less their resident genius.

"Yeah, I was about to call you. The two of them offered to help escort Rachel Carson to prison after the hearing. They still haven't arrived at the prison," Sheriff Hicks said. He clearly wasn't very happy about the information he had to share. "We're following the GPS on the unmarked transfer car to its location now."

"How far away from it are you?" Rossi asked. Fear was beginning to gnaw at his mind. While the circumstances were different, worrying about Hotch and Reid were becoming an all too familiar theme in his life.

"Less than a mile. Stay on the line. I'll let you know what we find," Hicks suggested. His deputy was driving like a race car driver. He had to brace his body to keep from sliding into the passenger door as they skidded onto one of the multiple logging roads peppering the highway. Before the sheriff had the chance to let Rossi know what was going, they came upon the wreck. "We're here. There's been an accident."

OOOOO

With a heavy heart, Rossi walked back into the room the unit was using. All noise in the confined space stopped as the other members of the BAU turned to him. Instinctively they knew the news wasn't good.

"I just spoke with Sheriff Hicks. He found the car Hotch and Reid were travelling in. It's been in an accident with an oversized SUV. There's no one in the vehicles and tracks from a third vehicle at the scene. At this point we don't know exactly what happened but it honestly doesn't look good," Rossi stated. He was staring at the back of the upholstered chair his hands were resting on. It felt as if the whole nightmare were starting all over again.

"What do we do now?" Morgan asked. He wanted to jump into the plane and fly to the location of the accident but they were in the middle of an investigation.

"We stay here and finish this. The Brown twins are still missing and we don't know for sure that something bad has happened to Hotch and Reid. The fact that they left their cell phones behind is probably due more to the fact that they're smashed than to any foul play," Rossi said. He too wanted to head back home, to start the search but that wasn't what their current assignment was. "Let's find these kids quickly."

OOOOO

In the back of the SUV Hotch's head was swimming. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious and no way to know if it was day or night. His head was still banging like a gong but he seemed to be okay otherwise. Clearly Mary wasn't quite ready to start with the torture. It deeply unnerved him that the world was still dark all around him.

"Cullen?" Hotch breathed. He could feel someone lying along his front but with his hands still tied he couldn't really tell who it was. The fact that he could smell leather and gun oil gave him a pretty good idea but he wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm here. How are you? What did she give you?" Cullen asked in just as quiet a voice. The interior of the SUV was silent except for the peripheral noises of the engine and the tires running over the gravel covering the dirt road they'd turned onto half an hour back.

"I'm fine, a little light headed but fine. Anything happen while I was out?" Hotch wanted to know what was going on. He absolutely hated not being able to see. He just hoped to God it wasn't permanent.

"No. I was out for a little while but we've been on the move ever since I came to," Cullen stated. He was uncomfortable with the older, taller man pressed up against his back. It seemed too much like a premonition of things to come. He knew what had happened in the tunnels. Now that there was a male perp, as well as a female one, things were bound to go downhill from here.

For the thousandth time Aaron searched his back pockets and the front ones as far as he could reach for something to cut the ties with. Just like all the other times he came up empty. He didn't have his credentials, cell phone, wallet, keys and gun. They were all missing.

The more Hotch moved, the worse his head felt. Finally he was forced to admit defeat and simply lie still. He was going to find out what Mary had planned for them soon enough. For the moment he needed to rest and try to make the migraine go away. The last thing he needed was to have his thoughts muddled.

OOOOO

They were finally there. Mary felt a thrill travel through her body. It was about bloody time. For a little while there she'd considered moving Rachel into the front seat and spending time with Spencer while they moved. But that would be too vulgar, knowing that her big brother could see everything she did. What she planned on doing was going to need privacy. Well, she needed it anyway. Otherwise she was afraid she'd suffer from performance anxiety and go blank.

They pulled up behind the three story abandoned house in the middle of a large field. At one time it would have been a beautiful place, full of light from the multiple windows and spacious beyond anything Mary had ever lived in. Now, though, many decades of neglect saw nearly all of the windows shattered and huge sections of the place no longer safe to enter. The old planks were rotting out so Mary and her brother used the storm cellar and the first floor only.

The closest neighbour was four miles away. That suited them fine. Still, to maintain the facade, they would have to park the SUV in one of the ramshackle out buildings that looked like they'd fall at the least provocation. First, though, they had to unload their passengers. Neither one planned on carrying them any further than necessary.

Doug pulled up beside the wooden doors on the side of the house. He and Mary had spent many hours making the house their own. At the time he'd wondered about some of his little sister's choices, particularly the chains and metal bed frames. Now, however, it was beginning to make a lot more sense.

Unlocking the large padlock, Doug pulled the chains out of the way and pulled the large wooden doors open. They were heavier than they used to be because Mary had insisted that they be reinforced with half inch sheets of metal. Then he turned to the back of the SUV. Mary was all ready there, waiting for him to be ready.

Cautiously, Doug pulled the hatch open on the SUV, expecting Aaron to try the same thing. This time it was the younger deputy that tried to spring on them. Casually, Doug struck him aside, slamming the much smaller man repeatedly in the dirt. Satisfied that he wasn't going to be a problem anymore, Doug turned his attention to the senior agent still inside the vehicle.

The dark haired man was blinking repeatedly, as if trying to clear dirt from his eyes. Looking closer at the man's dark eyes, Doug realized that they weren't really focusing on anything. Stuffing down the bitter taste of bile in his throat, Doug slammed the hatch shut. He was going to deal with these guys one at a time.

"Keep watch over them. I'm going to secure the deputy below before I pull another one out," Doug said. While he spoke, he handed his sister Hotch's service revolver. He'd known enough to keep that. "Do you want him on the wall or the bed frame?"

"Well. I don't plan on playing with him for a while," Mary stated as she looked down at the stunned former classmate sprawled on the ground. She supposed she should be feeling something, like guilt or shame. All she felt was nothing. The man meant absolutely nothing to her. Well, that might change. For now he was going to be put on the back burner.

Happily, Mary watched as Doug lumbered back up the stairs, opened the hatch and pulled a struggling Hotch out of it. Unceremoniously, her brother dumped the agent on the ground, grabbed him by the feet and dragged him bumping down the stairs. Clearly her brother was getting into the swing of things.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the wonderful reviews!! It certainly makes writing seem to come that much faster. ;) I struggled a bit with this chapter. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to set things up. Does it make sense to you? I sometimes wonder because I know things make perfect sense to me, and then I try to explain them to someone else. Suddenly, things aren't quite as clear!_

_Anyway, here's chapter five. Let me know if anything seems off._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER FIVE

They were all set up just the way she'd wanted them. Well, actually, Mary had planned on having the shackles along the wall to allow Hotch and Reid to stand once in a while. All along she'd secretly hoped to get young Reid as well. She knew there was no way to get hold of Matt and Jared. They'd been fun too. But, ah, Reid was her favourite. She supposed it was because he looked so damned young but was in fact older so she didn't feel like quite as much of a pedophile for what she had planned for him.

Standing in the middle of the revamped basement, Mary turned in a slow circle, taking in Hotch secured to the south wall and Reid secured on his front on top of metal bed frame in the middle of the room. Reid was handcuffed spread eagle on the cold, hard frame.

On the main floor, Deputy Cullen had been shackled inside the crawlspace that ran the length of the main bedroom. It was cold, dark and dank inside the crawlspace and Mary was sure that there were rats and mice living inside it. It seemed like the perfect place to store the deputy until she wanted to play with him. When Mary had checked on him, he was slumped in the angle of the wall between the two chains. Doug had made sure to knock everyone senseless before transporting them out of the SUV.

Rachel was shackled to the wall in the crawl space on the other side of the main bedroom. She too was slumped in the chains. Doug hadn't hit her as hard but with her recent head injuries it took less force to cause the same damage. It amused the hell out of Mary to imagine what the other woman would think when she awoke in the dark, especially if the other residents of the crawl space had come to investigate.

Doug had been busy unloading stuff out of the SUV. He was a genius when it came to packing. Mary was always amazed at what he could pack into the few cavities that had been available in the vehicle. They had enough food and water to last for weeks if necessary.

"What are you going to do now?" Doug asked. He'd done all he could do and now was at a loss after moving the SUV into the largest of the ramshackle sheds. Standing beside his sister, he looked at the two people they had kidnapped and were going to hold captive for as long as Mary wanted. His thoughts kept straying toward Rachel. The thought of her being so close and vulnerable kept him from concentrating.

"I'm not sure, I'm trying to decide," Mary stated. Randomly she moved over to Hotch. He was the only one who was currently conscious. He was standing along the wall, the chains as tight as they would go. Looking into Aaron's angry brown eyes, she ran her hand along his chest, down to the waist band of his slacks. Doug had secured all of them with their clothes on. Mary wanted to enjoy removing the pieces of clothing as the whim struck her.

"Why are you doing this?" Aaron asked. His eyes were starting to clear up a little. It was no longer completely dark around him. He was beginning to see slight variations in the shadows. It wasn't going to help him escape but it allowed him to feel a little hope. It was still unnerving that Mary hadn't blindfolded them or gagged them. It spoke volumes to him about the woman's state of mind.

"You know why," Mary growled. She felt the man's muscles tightening under her fingers as she ghosted along the seam of his slacks. She knew enough about Hotch to know that he preferred to dress in a suit while at work. The man always looked so completely under control and restrained. She wondered what he'd look like in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then she decided he'd lose some of his appeal if she did that. "You killed my brother."

"You were holding Dr. Reid and I when that happened. We had nothing to do with it," Hotch stated. He looked away from Mary while he tried to scan the room. His eyes weren't that good yet but he drew his mind away from the woman's unwanted touch. It took everything he had to not struggle or pull away. It was what the woman was hoping for so he refused to give it to her.

"We've had this discussion before and I'm bored of it. Let's get ready to have some fun," Mary stated. Reluctantly she pulled her hand away from Aaron's warm body and walked over to a large black backpack that had been sitting on the floor. Pulling the syringes and needles out of its dark confines she sat back on her haunches to consider her options.

Sighing, she looked around. Reid appeared to still be unconscious. She looked over at Doug. Her older brother was standing back, watching to see what she was planning to do. At this instant in time she wasn't really sure. Then inspiration struck.

Hurting Hotch would be satisfying but not that much fun. Young Spencer might still be unconscious but not for long. Dropping the items back into the backpack, Mary stood up and approached the tall, thin young man.

Spencer's head was turned to the side, toward where Hotch was attached to the wall. His mouth was slightly open as he breathed slowly and deeply. Mary turned to her brother who was still standing by. "Have you ever had sex with a man?"

"No. Why would I want to?" Doug asked. A few hours ago the thought would have completely repulsed him. Now, however, there was a certain curiosity attached to it. What would it feel like? No, Doug would rather make love with Rachel, the only available woman in the place. Wouldn't he?

"Spencer is a pretty good little whore. He moans and whimpers, which is a real turn on if you ask me," Mary said, an evil smile on her face. It had been fun abusing him with the sex toy. It would be even more fun watching her brother ram himself deep within the young agent's body. Now if only she could convince her brother of that.

"Nah, sorry, I don't swing that way," Doug stated. He glanced at the handsome young kid lying on the bed frame. No. He wasn't quite ready for that yet. "Why don't you have fun with him instead?"

"Leave Spencer alone," Hotch growled from his position against the wall. He was straining against the chains, trying to get closer to somehow protect the younger man. The chains gave him a few extra millimeters but that was it. Frustration burned through his system, causing everything else to fall away. "If you want to hurt someone, hurt me."

"Oh, don't worry, I will. Just not right now, though," Mary said. To prove her point, she stepped up to Reid. Her eyes on Hotch, Mary slowly began to undo the buttons on the front of his shirt. Once she had half of them done, she slipped her fingers underneath the fabric and run them along his cool flesh.

"Get your hands off of him," Hotch growled. He desperately hoped he was right in his assumption of what she was doing. The last thing he needed was for the woman or her brother to realize how bad his sight currently was.

"Young Reid is as hairless as a new born baby," Mary cooed as her hands slipped under the waist band of his slacks. The kid had been taking his fashion sense from his boss. No jeans here either. "He feels just as soft too."

Hotch strained a little harder against the chains. They'd given a little before. Maybe he could get more out of them. He knew the woman was just trying to get a rise out of him. He knew that by reacting he was playing into her hands but he needed to cover as long as he could. Once Mary realized he couldn't see, she was more likely to do things to Reid to illicit vocal reactions, things that would cause him considerably more pain.

While she let her hands travel over the parts of Reid's body that she could reach, Mary looked at her brother. There was a burning kind of need being kindled in his dark eyes. He hadn't done anything to Mary or Rachel for years, not since he'd left the house and got a steady girlfriend. Apparently teenage boys really were obsessed with sex.

"Want to try?" Mary asked as she paused long enough to undo the rest of the buttons and then the button and fly on Reid's pants. She pulled the fly open to reveal the boxers underneath. At that moment, Reid came to. Smiling, Mary shoved her hands into the fly and began her explorations in earnest.

"Don't touch me," Reid cried as he struggled to dislodge the woman's fingers. She was prying into every corner of his groin while he was unable to do anything about it. Only this time, he was wide awake for the whole thing, tied up like an animal.

Still frantically struggling, Reid glanced around the room. He took in the man standing back, watching with an intensity that made Spencer very uncomfortable, and Hotch shackled to the wall. Shame burned through him as he realized his superior was being forced to witness his humiliation all over again. Then he noticed that while Hotch was making a show of struggling with his chains, his eyes were unusually distant. Almost as if they weren't really focusing on him or anything else in the room. The shame turned to panic.

OOOOO

"Rossi," Dave said as he answered his cell phone on the second ring. He knew it was Sheriff Hicks from the call display. His heart was in his throat, making it hard to breathe properly.

"We've examined the crash site. There was a third vehicle in the area that pulled out onto the highway. We can tell that they turned left but beyond that we are still trying to figure out what kind of vehicle we're dealing with. Whatever it was was large, we can at least tell that much from the wheel base," Hicks stated. He'd thought about going through the pleasantries but knew that wasn't what the man wanted.

"Is there any sign of Hotch and Reid?" Rossi asked. What the sheriff had told him did little to dispel the sense of foreboding that had taken over his mind. The urge to jump in the jet and head up there was nearly overwhelming. He knew that the others were feeling the same way. At the moment, though, they had no real proof that Hotch and Reid were in trouble. Until they did or until they found the twin boys they'd come here to investigate, they had to remain on station. It's what Hotch would have wanted.

"There's blood in the ghost car. It indicates that all four of them were injured but not badly as near as we can tell. We're running blood types as we speak, your Ms. Garcia has sent us Agent Hotchner and Reid's medical files so we'll know where they were sitting soon. The worst damage was on the passenger side of the car. The passenger in the front was pinned and lost some blood but again, we don't think it's life threatening based on the volume present," Hicks informed the agent. The sheriff was getting rather tired of being the one to impart bad news in this relationship. For once he would have liked having a normal conversation with any of the members of the BAU.

"Do you need us for anything?" Rossi asked. The urge was still there. In his heart of hearts he knew that the two men were in deep trouble and that Mary West probably had a lot to do with it. The case they were working on was too similar to what she'd done before. If it wasn't for the missing twins he would have ignored it for a diversionary tactic. Looking back he realized it was a way to get all of them out in the field on the day that Hotch and probably Reid would be in her hometown for the hearing. How could he have not seen that before?

"Not at the moment. Have you found the two young men yet?" Hicks would very much like the BAU's assistance in this. He too recognized Mary's handiwork and he didn't want to face the woman down alone.

"No, but we're getting closer. Once we do I'll let you know as soon as we're on the jet," Rossi assured the sheriff. "Keep in touch."

"Yeah, you too," Hicks responded as he cut the connection.

With a deep sigh, Rossi stood up and headed for the team's room. He had to let them know what was going on. Hopefully while he'd taken a short break the others had come up with something.

OOOOO

The world came back slowly for Rachel. She wasn't sure if it was the darkness or the pounding in her head that made her feel so sluggish. Ultimately it didn't really matter as she quickly ascertained that she was chained to a wall. The chains were long enough that she was able to run her hands along the walls in front of and behind her so she could get a better idea of where she was. It was very dark, smelly and dusty. Listening hard, she could barely make out the sounds of little feet scurrying around in the dark to her right and to her left. The room was small and reminded her very much of the storage spaces her Grandmother had had on the sides of her upstairs rooms.

She was in a crawl space. Damn it. Rachel pulled on the chains and pounded on the wall in front of her, assuming that she'd feel secured to the back wall. All she managed to do was cause the metal shackles to bite into the skin of her wrists and skin her knuckles on the wall. Briefly she considered yelling but then she realized she didn't really want Doug or his sister to come check on her.

Taking deep, calming breaths, Rachel tried to not choke on the air. It was thick with dust and other things. She knew if she stayed here for too long she'd wind up with allergies and maybe asthma. Not a nice thought. While she tried to run her hands along the floor to get some indication of what the hell she was sitting on, Rachel wondered how the other three were doing. Undoubtedly Mary had Hotch and Reid secured someplace where she could have easy access to them. That's what Rachel would have done.

A pounding several feet away caught Rachel's attention. A male voice was cursing and swearing between thumps. She recognized the voice almost instantly. Deputy Cullen was unhappy with his present situation as well. While she could hear his voice and could figure out what he was probably saying, Rachel couldn't say that she really heard him. Communication was going to be difficult at best.

"I knew I should have learned Morse code," Rachel muttered under her breath. Other than S.O.S. she had no idea how to do it. Even for that the three dashes and three dots got a little jumbled. Cursing herself, Rachel kicked the wall in front of her a few times, just to let the deputy know he wasn't alone.

OOOOO

Mary had virtually stripped Reid down to his boxers. She had his pants down around his knees, the chains prevented them from going any further, and his shirt was open to expose his smooth, muscular chest. The young profiler was squirming, trying to find some way to dislodge her probing fingers but it was useless.

Hotch was still struggling against his chains, the occasional grunt the only sound he made. He didn't want to play into Mary's hands any further than he had. At the same time he didn't really want to draw attention to himself. So far Mary and the other man hadn't noticed his predicament. He had the feeling that Reid had, though. The young profiler was doing everything he could to concentrate Mary's attention on himself. The very thought that Spencer was doing it deliberately brought bile to the back of Hotch's throat.

"You are just too precious," Mary purred as she climbed up onto the bed frame. Moving slowly, she crawled over to the still struggling profiler's side and plopped herself over top of his thighs. She wanted to have full access. "Have you ever been with a girl?"

"Go to hell," Reid muttered. He knew that the other members of the BAU liked to make fun of his lack of sexual experience. He wasn't about to let this woman intimate that he was a virgin, because he wasn't. He was just very choosy about whom he allowed to get that close to him. That fact that there hadn't been anyone for a while was more a testament to his working schedule than his preference.

"Well, I would have expected a more elegant response from a genius," Mary said. She hooked her fingers into the elastic band of Reid's boxers and began to slowly pull them down. She wanted to relish the moment. Just as she reached the edge of his pubic hair, she turned to her brother. "Are you sure you don't want a taste?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Absolutely loving the reviews. ;) PLEASE keep them coming!_

_Enjoy!_

_Susanne._

CHAPTER SIX

Looking up at her brother, Mary waited expectantly. She really wanted to see Doug rape Reid and perhaps Hotch. She hadn't made her mind up about that one yet. For his part, Doug just looked at her while he waged his own internal battle. He wasn't into men. But seeing the young man lying there, so completely vulnerable, he had a hard time not reaching out and touching him.

Slowly Mary became aware of the fact that her inner thigh, the one against Reid's leg, was getting wet. Oh, yeah, that was right. The kid had been trapped in the car. He had a large gash on his leg. In her joy at touching the young man and taking in his body, she'd forgotten all about his wound. Letting go of Reid's boxers, Mary ran her left hand down his leg and dug her fingers into the bloody wound.

Pain exploded into Reid's consciousness. With everything else that he'd been dealing with, he'd pushed the pain from his hip and leg to the back of his mind. Now, it would no longer be ignored. Gasping, he tried unsuccessfully to pull his leg away from the woman's cruel fingers. A low moan escaped when she turned his leg to the side, to get a better vantage point.

The pain got worse as Reid's hip joined the cacophony. Mary was pressing against his thigh, putting pressure on his all ready sore hip. Thought vanished from his mind while Reid tried to concentrate on getting his next breath. The room suddenly didn't seem to have enough air in it.

"How does that feel?" Mary asked as she pulled her hand out and looked at her bloody fingers. Under her the kid had started to tremble like a leaf and his skin was slick with a thin sheen of cold sweat. Reid's eyes were closed and his face contorted as he rode the waves of pain crashing over him, one after the other. For the first time, Mary felt an inkling of concern. After all, she didn't want him to bleed to death just yet.

"Leave me alone," Reid begged. He was trying to pull away from her. Her weight held him in place very easily as his strength disappaited as his blood flowed down his leg and into the metal springs below it.

"Well, I guess I should have this looked at," Mary stated. She shimmied down Reid's legs a little further so that she could take a closer look at the wound. Sticking her finger into her mouth, Mary brought it back out and ran it through the ragged gash along Reid's leg.

Through tightly gritted teeth, it took every ounce of will Reid possessed to keep from screaming in agony. It was what she wanted. He refused to give it to her as he nearly hyperventilated, he was panting so hard.

"What do you mean, 'have that looked at'?" Doug asked. The pain and suffering didn't do it for him. The kid was obviously in agony and Mary was only making it worse. It was one thing to cause the person pleasure. It was another to cause pain.

"You should go get Rachel. She's pretty good at this kind of stuff. Besides, she gets off on it too," Mary said as she pulled her fingers out of the gash and turned her attention back to Reid's boxers.

Practically fleeing the room, Doug headed to the main floor and the crawl space where Rachel was shackled. The thought of releasing the woman sent a small thrill through Doug's body. Having her chained up in the dark made her inaccessible to him. If Mary would let her a little more freedom, then maybe Doug could have a little fun too.

Opening the door to the crawl space, Doug shone a flashlight into its dark confines. Rachel looked up at him, her brown eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to adjust them to the light. Doug slipped inside and quickly undid the shackles. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked her voice a little raspy from the air in the hole. "Why are you doing this?"

"It was Mary's idea," Doug responded as he pulled the woman to her feet. Then he ushered her across the room toward the door. He liked the feel of the skin on her arm under his hand while he led her toward the stairway to the basement. In all the years he'd known the woman, Doug had rarely touched her. Old fantasies raced back to the surface.

"I never got the impression you did what your sister wanted you to," Rachel growled as she struggled against the man's superior strength. She hadn't been working much lately so her muscle was disappearing. "Where are the others?"

"I'm taking you to them," Doug stated as he pulled the door to the stairs open and pulled Rachel along.

"In all the years you and your brothers tormented me, trying to get me to take my clothes off, making off colour remarks that a child didn't quite understand, you never touched me. Why would you start now?" Rachel pressed. This might be her only chance to talk to Doug, to try to talk him down.

"Now's as good a time as any," Doug responded. Rachel didn't like the evil little smile that played across his lips as he pushed her to the bottom of the stairs. Stumbling, Rachel barely managed to keep upright. By the time she regained her footing, she was within a few feet of the bed frame. Instantly, her attention turned from herself to the young man lying on the cold metal in obvious agony. What the hell had Mary been up to this time?

"I need a medical kit," Rachel said as she covered the distance in a heartbeat. Mary was hovering along the back of the room, watching everything Rachel did. She'd cut off Reid's underwear to leave him as exposed as possible. She laughed at the fact that Rachel was very careful not to look at his groin region. Instead, her whole attention was centered on Reid's leg.

"Give it to her," Mary instructed. She'd come fully prepared.

"What has she been doing to you?" Rachel said under her breath. Ignoring the young profiler's nakedness, Rachel carefully turned Reid's injured leg to the side. The chains didn't allow for much lee way and as she moved the leg, she heard Reid grunt in pain. She knew he'd been shot in the hip the last time Mary had been in his vicinity. It hadn't been that long, if Reid's hip were broken or fractured, he could still be having trouble with it. Then she remembered the cane he'd used to walk into the court room. Damn, damn, damn.

The gash from the car accident was ragged but not especially deep. Rachel needed to make sure it was clean and that the wound was wrapped to help prevent infection. Reid's muscles were twitching under her ministrations. She imagined that a good part of that was a response to the pain he was undoubtedly in, the other part was probably a combination of fear and cold. The basement was almost as cold and dank as her cell.

Doug handed Rachel a first aid kit. Undoing the zipper that held the nylon bag closed, Rachel took stock of her supplies. Mary had learned. There was pretty much everything she'd need within its confines. Selecting what she thought she'd need, Rachel began very gently cleaning the gash.

Reid hissed through clenched teeth as Rachel began her ministrations. His eyes were tightly shut as he rode each wave of pain as it crashed over him, nearly suffocating him with their intensity. He was barely even aware of the fact that he was lying on the cold metal frame, his clothes gone. Under any other circumstances the young genius would be mortified.

"He's going into hypothermia. You need to cover him up with something. Between it and the shock, Reid might die if you're not careful," Rachel stated as she continued to work. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching Hotch. It sickened her to see the Unit Chief chained to the wall like an animal. It unnerved her to realize he hadn't said anything. Hotch continued to pull on his chains but otherwise hadn't said a word.

"A little hypothermia and shock never killed anyone before," Mary stated, sure of herself. She hadn't gone to school to be a vet assistant, unlike Rachel, but she thought she knew enough.

"Yes, yes, they have," Rachel growled. The wound as clean as she was likely to get it, Rachel proceeded to pull the ragged edges together so she could secure it with butterfly Band-Aids. If she could keep it healthy and together, hopefully Reid would heal faster and with a less noticeable scar.

Huffing, Mary strode to the back of the basement and produced a blanket. The last thing she really wanted to do was to cover the profiler up. She liked being able to stare at his naked body and see how it reacted to the things going on around him. It gave her a wonderful feeling of power to know that she could do anything she wanted to the two men at any time and they couldn't do a thing to stop her.

"Here," Mary stated as she threw the blanket towards Rachel. Catching it, Rachel stood up long enough to drape the cloth over Reid's trembling body. She left the leg she was working on uncovered but made sure as much as the rest of him was under the blanket as possible. Then she settled back down to finish what she'd started.

"What are you doing to him?" Hotch demanded. He was vastly relieved to hear that Rachel was in the room. If nothing else, the woman was capable to keeping them alive long enough for them to be rescued. The fact that she was talking told him that she hadn't yet been injured. Hotch knew from the other sounds in the room that Reid hadn't been so lucky. The sounds of Reid's suffering, despite his attempts to stifle it, caused anger and despair to burn through his system.

"I'm cleaning the wound and bandaging it. It'll do for a little while," Rachel answered while she propped Reid's leg up as much as she could before trying to wrap it. That Rachel was working on Reid made Hotch feel a little better. Damn he hated being blind. The darkness in front of his eyes wasn't quite as dark, he could just barely make out slightly different shades of black.

OOOOO

Frustrated, Sheriff Hicks kicked the tire of the damaged ghost car. They'd been at it for hours but still were no closer to finding out where the third vehicle had gone. The blood tests had confirmed that Reid and Rachel had been on the side of the vehicle that was now crumpled in on its self. Reid had lost a fair amount of blood but not enough to cause him any permanent damage.

Hicks had just gotten off the phone with Agent Rossi for the fourth time in the last half hour. The man was deeply concerned as was Hicks. For the two men to have this happen to them while Rachel was in the vehicle seemed like too much of a coincidence. His tantrum over, Hicks turned back to his men. They needed to widen their search significantly.

OOOOO

The building was an old warehouse. The BAU team was waiting for the local law enforcement units to get into the position. The place as massive and they needed to search every inch of it as fast as they could. All the evidence pointed to the two boys being held here. Rossi only hoped they were right. His internal clock had been ticking ever since the first call with Sheriff Hicks. He knew Reid and Hotch were running out of time.

The signal came and all of them headed inside the warehouse. The BAU members stayed together. Morgan led the way, followed by Emily and then Rossi. They made their way steadily into the building, checking all corners and every room they came upon. The local law enforcement officers were also swarming over the area. As the BAU made their way steadily toward the basement, they could hear the officers communicating over the earphones they all wore.

"We need to get to the basement," Rossi said in a quiet voice. That was where Mary would keep her prey. That was where she felt the most at home.

"I know," Morgan growled. He was trying to make his way there but the place was huge and had been remodelled since the blue prints they'd studied. The longer this was taking, the more frustrated the well built profiler became. Reid was his kid brother. He knew instinctively that something was wrong, very wrong. It killed him that he had to stay here, working this case while Spencer and Aaron were in trouble. Again.

Finally they found the stairs. A group of police officers waited for them to take the lead before heading down the metal steps. At the bottom they found a great big open area. In the darkness of the very far corner, Morgan just barely made out a small sound. Still checking corners and other dark areas, he practically sprinted in the direction. Hope burned in his heart and mind. Maybe, just maybe this was the twins so they could get out of here.

Panning his flashlight around the area, Morgan saw a dark lump. The cement of the floor had turned to soil. He wasn't quite sure why and didn't bother to find out. Morgan could hear the others coming up behind him as he finally came within sight of the lump.

Covering the distance quickly, Morgan knelt down beside the lump and carefully rolled it over. Inside a rough blanket, he found the naked body of Edward, the older of the two twins. The kid appeared to be drugged or suffering severe hypothermia. His lack of awareness of what was going on around him was almost creepy. The kid was filthy. Layers of dirt helped to cover his nakedness. There were obvious bruises over most of his body, including his genitals.

"We need a medic!" Morgan called out. He saw Emily drop down on the other side of Edward. The twin was limp in Morgan's arms as he pulled him toward him. Dirty or not, the kid was freezing. He needed to try to get him warmed up ASAP. The medics came pounding down the stairs, bags in their hands.

"Where's Steven?" Rossi asked. He left dealing with Edward to the two younger members. He was panning his flashlight around, trying to locate the other twin. If he wasn't here, they weren't done yet. The police officers were spreading out, looking for clues.

"I don't think he's here," Emily said. The search upstairs hadn't been completed yet but at this point it felt like a formality. There was still one twin out there.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

_Hi!! Thank you very, very much for the reviews. Every single one absolutely makes my day. As always, I'm remaining deliberately vague in describing the abuse. I figure you can probably come up with far more inventive things than I can so, have fun!!!_

_Susanne_

"Are you finished yet?" Mary muttered. She knew Rachel was very thorough. At the moment, though, she had the feeling the younger woman was procrastinating. The longer she worked on Reid, the more time the young profiler had to recover from what Mary had done to him so far.

"He needs water. So do the rest of us," Rachel stated. She'd taken twice as much time bandaging Reid's thigh than she normally would have. The longer she'd worked, the more Reid's trembling abated. She attributed most of that to the fact that he was now covered in a blanket. That certainly would help a lot.

"You'll get water when I decide to let you," Mary snarled. They had more than enough water but she wanted to wait until they were desperate for it. All the better to bargain with, when they were desperate.

"If you're going to torture these men, you need to keep them hydrated. Otherwise you run the risk of their vital organs slowly shutting down," Rachel growled back. She moved over to Hotch now that she was done with Reid. She stood in front of him and took his head in her hands so she could take a closer look at the side of his face. It wasn't lost on her that the senior FBI agent flinched slightly when she touched him.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked quietly. Mary had headed to the back of the basement to retrieve one bottle of water. It was going to have to be spread between the three of them. No use giving them too much, then Mary just had to deal with the after affects. Looking closely at Hotch's eyes, Rachel realized pretty quickly that he wasn't really seeing her. Shocked, she sucked a breath between her teeth. "How's your head?"

"I'm fine," Aaron responded. He was eternally grateful that it had been Rachel touching him and not Mary. At the moment he had no real way to protect himself. Once the woman figured out he couldn't see properly, there was no telling the new and inventive ways she was going to abuse him. "Thank you."

"Quit talking to him," Mary grated. To emphasize the point, she pushed Rachel aside and slugged Hotch in the stomach as hard as she could. The air whooshed from the agent's lungs as he instinctively tried to double over. The chains kept him upright, but just barely.

"Leave him alone," Rachel said. She tried to get between Mary and Hotch. If the woman was going to hurt anyone, she wanted it to be her. "Why don't you just let them all go? They had nothing to do with Danny's death. Danny did that one all on his own, stupid kid."

Anger spiked through Mary's mind. No one talked about her little brother like that. Stepping forward, she lashed out at Rachel, trying to gouge the other woman's eyes out. Rachel brought her hands up just in time and caught Mary's outstretched hands. Growling, Rachel pushed Mary backward as hard as she could. It hadn't been a very well thought out move because Mary fell on top of Reid.

Moving with a speed Rachel hadn't known she had, Mary sprang back up, leaped over to the far side of Reid's cuffed body, brought a knife out of the back of her pants and forced it against the skinny young man's long throat.

"Make another move and I cut," Mary warned. With her free hand, Mary threw the blanket out of the way, leaving Reid naked again. She liked him so much better this way. Then her hand had come up to grab hold of Reid's too long, dark brown hair. Reid moaned quietly as she pulled a little too hard on his hair and arched his neck painfully.

"Why? Why the hell are you doing all of this?" Rachel demanded. She'd stopped moving and was standing in front of Hotch, her hands up to try to diffuse the situation. Behind her, Rachel could hear the senior profiler slowly getting control of his breathing. Mary had hit him harder than she'd imagined. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Shut up, bitch," Mary hissed. She pressed the blade of the knife a little harder against Reid's flesh. A thin trail of blood started and the young profiler grunted quietly. He was just starting to recover from the pain of earlier. His hip had died down to a gut wrenching ache but his thigh felt much better after Rachel's ministrations. Opening his eyes, Reid avoided looking at Mary and instead concentrated on Rachel and Hotch. It helped to alleviate some of the fear trying to take control of his mind and body.

"I'm doing this because I can," Mary continued, a twisted sneer on her face. The blade bit a fraction of a millimetre deeper. She revelled in the sound Reid made as he tried to stifle it. The kid was trying to be tough, probably for his boss, but she was going to break him soon enough. She just didn't want to rush it. After all, she had all the time in the world.

"That's no excuse. I know things were bad for you when you were growing up. Hell, I was there! I lived it too! You don't see me getting my jollies out of causing pain and suffering. Please, Mary, let them go," Rachel pressed. Maybe, just maybe, she could get in touch with the teenager she used to know. That Mary would have never done this. The horrors the two of them had thought up were just for the games they played and the stories they wrote. It wasn't for the real world. It wasn't to be used on another human being.

"You don't know anything about it so shut your trap. If you don't I might just sick Doug on you, let him finish what he started so many years ago," Mary spat. Tired of holding the knife to Reid's neck, she began dragging it down his well defined chest toward regions further down. The blade left a very thin line of blood beginning to ooze out of Reid's skin. The young profiler hissed as the new pain registered but he didn't dare move, to cause her to cut any deeper than she was. While the cut hurt like hell, it wouldn't leave a mark. It wasn't deep enough for that. Yet.

"This isn't you, Mary. You're not capable of any of this," Rachel pressed. She heard Hotch say something quietly behind her. While she couldn't quite make out the words, she knew intuitively that the profiler was trying to warn her, to get her to back off.

"I'm capable of pretty much anything. You don't know me anymore," Mary stated. To prove her point, she jabbed Reid in the groin with the knife. It wasn't hard, not even hard enough to break the skin, but the feeling of the knife was enough to make Reid whimper. Quickly he swallowed the sound. Mary had heard it though and smiled happily.

"Fine, you've proven your point. What now?" Rachel said. She could feel Doug's eyes running up and down her body. The very thought gave her the creeps. Jail suddenly seemed like not such a bad place to be.

"That's up to Doug. I think he should try his attentions on someone who would be more appreciative of them, like Agents' Reid and Hotchner," Mary cackled. The response from Reid was almost instantaneous. The thin profiler had begun to tremble again, much harder than before. It was one thing to have a sex toy shoved into his body, it was quite another to have it be attached to a person. The very thought nearly overwhelmed Reid with panic.

"No!" Rachel cried. Her eyes fell on Spencer's carefully controlled face. He was so young and vulnerable. Rachel could see beyond the mask though, and recognized the terror underneath. There was no way she was going to let the kid lose that form of innocence. "Don't do it, Doug. If you need to have sex with someone, do it to me. I know you've always wanted to."

"Shut up," Mary ordered. She hated the fact that her brothers had preferred Rachel. She'd been petit and blond, everything Mary hadn't been. Her plan to deflect her brothers' attention had worked too well. Once they got a good look at Rachel, they basically ignored Mary. "I want Doug to do it to Reid."

"Well, I don't want to do it to Reid," Doug said from his position near the bottom step. He hadn't bothered to move. He wanted to see how this little scenario played out. Although he had to admit that the thought of 'doing' the young Agent Reid was becoming more appealing with each passing hour. There was just something about the kid.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you with me," Mary lamented. Idly, she ran the blade over Reid's skin again. She liked how he reacted to having the knife stuck into his family jewels. Grinning like a jackal, she jabbed Reid again in the groin, this time drawing a small pin prick of blood. Again Reid whimpered, unable to stop.

Tired of arguing with the demented woman, Rachel sprang forward, trying to knock the knife out of Mary's hand. With any luck she could get the knife and use it to threaten Mary and Doug. At the very least, she hoped to get the thing away from her so she couldn't torment Reid. Silent tears were gathering in the corners of Reid's brown eyes. The sight of them broke Rachel's heart.

Knocking the knife away from Reid, Rachel made a grab for it but Mary recovered faster than she'd hoped. The blade came up to rest against Rachel's throat, stilling her instantly. That didn't stop Doug from striking Rachel on the side of the head. She fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Put her back. She's done all she can do for now," Mary ordered.

OOOOO

"We need to get out of here and go find Hotch and Reid," Morgan nearly shouted in frustration. The BAU was back at their headquarters, trying to piece together where the younger of the twins was being held. The older twin had been transported to hospital but was still unconscious. They weren't going to get any help there.

The CSI's had been over every inch of the basement and the rest of the warehouse. They'd also collected every sample they could from the twin. Now Morgan and the others were forced to wait while the scientific examinations were performed. They'd spent the last two hours pouring over the files again, just in case they'd missed something the first twenty times they'd read them.

"I understand your frustration, Derek. I know that we all feel the same way. But at this time we have no proof the Hotch and Reid are in trouble. We do know that the younger of the two twins is either in extreme danger of dying or all ready dead," Rossi said. He hated it too. But they couldn't just up and leave an active case. Not without definite proof.

"I've been trying to get hold of satellite photos of the scene but so far there aren't any available. That area isn't populated enough for the images to be kept," Garcia stated from her computer. She had never felt so damned helpless.

"Keep trying," Emily suggested. "We'll keep working the case." The words nearly choked her but it was what they were going to have to do.

OOOOO

Once Rachel was carried out of the basement, Mary appeared to become bored. At least that's what Hotch assumed. Straining his ears, Hotch was listening to see if Doug came back. The thoughts of what the man could be doing to Rachel in her current state made his blood run cold. Unconsciously, he was counting the minutes and was becoming alarmed at the number that had passed.

Then he felt a presence in front of him. Automatically, Hotch tracked it with his eyes even though all he saw was shadows within shadows. A hand ran from his chest to his felt. Struggling against the shackles on his wrists and ankles, Hotch tried to pull away. The woman's touch sent shivers of revulsion through his body and mind.

"Don't touch me," Hotch grated between clenched teeth. It wasn't very imaginative and certainly wasn't what he thought he'd say but it was what came out. The pounding in the right side of his head was making clear thought difficult.

"Come on, you love it. Nothing like being with a real woman," Mary breathed. She pressed her body up against Hotch's. Suddenly he wasn't straining forward, Hotch was trying desperately to back pedal with the same success. Mary ran her hands over Hotch's back down to his buttocks, as she wrapper her left leg around his. It was clearly a provocative pose but it was lost on Hotch. All he really wanted was to get the hell away from her.

"Get off of me," Hotch gasped as she pulled his pelvis forward, toward her own. He was completely helpless. He couldn't dislodge the woman or her unwanted advances, the chains wouldn't allow him to. Desperately, Hotch pulled again. His wrists had started to bleed but he ignored it.

"You know, I kind of like this. You are so much better looking than that bean pole, Reid," Mary purred. She stepped back long enough to start undoing the buttons on Hotch's blood spattered cotton shirt. The man continued to struggle, to get away but it was still far too easy to get the shirt undone and pulled out of his pants. Mary ran her hands over the white cotton undershirt that kept her from the beautiful flesh underneath.

Hotch thought desperately about what to say, to get this woman off of him. Then he realized that so long as Mary was busy with him, she wasn't busy abusing Reid. Gritting his teeth a little harder, Hotch remained quiet. He closed his eyes and continued the struggle. Just as she would expect him to while she ran a blade under the t-shirt, ripping it from his body. All the while, Hotch continued to count the minutes. Doug had been gone a very long time.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you very much for all the reviews!! I just love it! I am feeling kind of guilty though, that I'm ignoring my other stories. Well, not really. The one story I'm writing 'Long Day' has just kind of stopped. I keep trying to write it but it isn't coming anywhere near as easily as this one. That may be my own fault, I'm kind of obsessed with this one._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter! You know I love hearing from my readers (A thrill passes through me. I never thought I'd see the day I had actual readers!) so please review if you have the chance!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER EIGHT

In his dark, smelly, wet prison, Deputy Cullen heard the sound of footsteps. The person walking was heavy and seemed to be the same person that had come and taken Rachel away. Cullen hated feeling so damned useless. He'd pounded on the wooden wall in front of him with his feet, trying to break out. The chains were biting into his ankles and wrists but he ignored it. He didn't know for sure who was responsible for all of this but he had a pretty good idea.

The footsteps were heavier, a little unsteady as they crossed over to the other side of the empty room. The sound of something heavy hitting the ground was followed shortly by a loud grunt.

"You asked for this," a male voice grated. Then there were sounds of struggling and material rustling.

"Maybe, but it's not going to go easy for you," Cullen heard Rachel say, her voice low and breathless. What was happening just beyond the layer of wood dawned on Cullen. Anger spiked through his system. Growling deep in his throat, Cullen began kicking at the wall again. His knees and hips were all ready on fire but he ignored it. What he was going to do after he broke through was beyond him. He just wanted to deal with the here and now.

The voices beyond the wood became lower and more intense. The sounds of struggle increased. The sound that chilled Cullen to the bone, though, was of a male grunting, rhythmically. A high pitched, keening kind of wail permeated the air. It broke his heart. It was Rachel. The sound continued unabated but there were still sounds of struggle as well. Despite her despair, Rachel was still fighting for all she was worth.

OOOOO

Mary had pulled Hotch's pants down to his knees but she'd left his boxers in place. It amused the hell out of her when she noticed that both Hotch and Reid wore the same kind. Were they part of the uniform as well?

Still struggling against the chains, Hotch tried to not feel the woman running her tongue over his flesh, kissing him, biting him and sucking on him. The whole process caused his skin to crawl. But he withstood it. There wasn't much else he could do.

"You taste so good," Mary purred. She ran her hands over Hotch's chest, down to his stomach and under his boxers. Hotch flinched as her fingers found his genitals and squeezed. If she was hoping to arouse him Hotch was glad that he was going to disappoint her.

"Where's Doug?" Hotch asked. His voice was forced but he was hoping to distract Mary and maybe help Rachel. The man had been gone far too long. Images of things that were probably happening to Rachel kept running through his mind.

"None of your business," Mary growled. She didn't want to think about what her brother was doing. She was having too much fun. Her hands wrapped around him, Mary squeezed as hard as she could. Hotch tried to pull away and a small moan escaped his lips. Looking into Hotch's eyes, Mary could see the pain reflected in those dark depths. It excited her, more so than touching his genitals.

"He's been gone a lot time," Hotch persisted through gritted teeth. The pain had been almost overwhelming but it was also short lifted.

"Shut up," Mary shouted. The anger boiling up inside her, Mary didn't take the time to think and rammed her knee into Hotch's groin as hard as she could. Then she ground her knee against his pelvis as hard as she could.

For the second time Hotch's air whooshed out of his body as the pain reasserted itself. Left panting, Hotch was still relieved when Mary stepped away from him. In the cacophony of pain he didn't think to follow the sounds Mary made with his eyes. The woman, panting as well from the anger flowing through her system, stood very still for a moment. She'd noticed it. Snaking a hand up in front of Hotch's open eyes, Mary made as if to poke him in the eye. The man didn't even flinch.

A wicked smile twisted Mary's lips. Stepping further back, she watched the senior profiler trying to recover his composure. Hotch's head hung between his shoulders while he waited for the embers of pain to subside. Unconsciously, his legs kept drawing up in response to the pain but the chains wouldn't let him curl up in a ball, as was his initial reaction.

Moving to the back of the basement, Mary found what she was looking for. She could feel young Reid's eyes on her as she stepped back in front of Hotch.

"Leave him alone," Reid demanded. "Shouldn't you go find your brother before he gets too tired playing with Rachel? Oh, that's right. You're used to your brothers being more interested in Rachel. It was how you spent your childhood."

It was a risky thing to say, given Mary's instability, but Reid did not want to see Mary whip Hotch. She'd graduated from a metal belt buckle to an actual whip, kind of like a riding crop. Reid struggled against his own shackles until his ankles and wrists were shredded but to no avail.

"Shut up," Mary shrieked. Instead of hitting Hotch, she spun around and struck Reid across the face, as hard as she could. Blood erupted in the young profiler's nose and mouth, nearly drowning him in his own fluids. Choking, Reid turned his head to the side, trying to let the blood run out of his mouth and the side of his nose. Stepping in, Mary stuffed a shred of cloth into Reid's mouth. He'd said too much. She didn't want to hear his voice at the moment.

"Now, let's get started, shall we?" Mary said as she turned back to Hotch. The dark haired profiler had lifted his head up and was trying to track her movements. He knew that she'd done something to Reid but he couldn't quite figure out what.

"Get started with what?" Hotch wondered. He was worried for Reid and Rachel. Doug had not returned yet. The longer he was gone, the more he could do to Rachel.

"This." Mary lifted the crop over her head and sent it slashing down at Hotch's left shoulder. It traveled down his chest all the way to his right hip before it slipped back off his skin. A grunt was Hotch's response. He hadn't had any time to prepare for it. Then she struck him again and again. Each time, Hotch was caught completely unprepared. For that simple reason the pain seemed to be that much worse, that much more brutal.

Gleefully, Mary circled the senior profiler, striking at him at random. She loved that he flinched each and every time, especially when she came at him from an unexpected direction. All ready Hotch's skin was ripped open in multiple places and blood soaked into his boxers from all sides. But she never hit his face. She liked the way Hotch looked too march to mar it, for the moment anyway.

Desperately, Reid wanted to warn Hotch each and every time Mary hit him. But between the blood trickling down the back of his neck from his busted nose and the fact that he could only breathe through his nose left him feeling like he was going to suffocate. He thrashed his head, trying to spit the gag out and spraying blood in a weak arch. It helped a bit. Then he used his tongue to force the saturated cloth out from between his teeth. Heaving a huge breath, Reid turned toward Hotch.

His superior looked horrible. Mary had obviously discovered his lack of vision because of the way she was tormenting him. Biting his lip, Reid tried to think of a way to draw Mary's attention. He didn't have to think too hard because Doug treaded down the stairs.

"Where the hell have you been?" Mary demanded as she stared at her brother. There was something about him that was different. He reminded her of the teenager she knew who revelled in tormenting Rachel. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Having some fun," Doug responded, a crooked grin plastered on his face. He'd worn himself out with Rachel. Man but the woman was a spit fire when she was angry. Doug was all ready inventing new fantasies for when he was with her again.

"I wanted you to have fun with these two, not that bitch," Mary grated. Dropping the blood soaked riding crop, she turned and went to her pile of supplies. She was angry. She wanted someone to suffer. At the moment, that someone was going to have to be Hotch because she didn't dare do it to her brother.

Picking up a long handled metal stick, she started a small fire in the fireplace along the outside wall. She was going to have to risk someone smelling the smoke. She wanted this to work just right.

"She was more fun," Doug stated. Happily, he headed to the cases of bottle water and downed one. Having sex made him thirsty. Opening another bottle, Doug scanned the two men. Mary had been having fun too in his absence.

"Shut up," Mary repeated. It was the only thing she could think to say. Now that the logs were burning brightly, Mary stuck the metal handle into the bottom of the flames. She wanted it to be good and hot.

"I'm hungry. What's for supper?" Doug asked. He wasn't even sure if it was supper time. In the basement time seemed to stand still and he hadn't bothered to look outside the boarded up windows of the bedroom. All he knew was that he was hungry and was too tired to cook for himself.

"I'm not cooking for you," Mary hissed. "If you're hungry find something back there and cook it yourself."

The mention of food had both agents' stomachs growling. They couldn't remember the last time they'd eaten. Neither one, however, was ready to ask. They knew they could last for quite some time before they'd starve to death. Now that the fire place was lit, the threat of hypothermia had decreased as well.

Grumbling, Doug went to the supplies. He wasn't going to cook anything. Selecting several pieces of beef jerky, he settled down on the third step from the bottom of the stairs and sat munching. He wanted to see what his sister was up to now.

"You should just let us go," Reid said. His voice sounded like he had a bad cold. He could tell that Mar had broken his nose. Until it was fixed he was going to have trouble breathing properly through it. He looked at Hotch. The Unit Chief was pale, sweaty and shaking like a leaf. The blood stood out in stark contrast against his flailed skin.

"No, I'm not done with you yet," Mary responded. The woman appeared to be calmer. This was his chance to try to talk some sense into her. The woman was crouched by the fire place, playing with the logs.

"How long have you been planning this?" Reid asked. He wanted to engage the woman. He just hoped she could understand him.

"Ever since you made me run away like an animal," Mary stated. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the flames. Her eyes were hypnotized by the dance and power of the fire.

"We didn't make you run away," Reid stated. He kept looking at Hotch. The older man was having trouble recovering. His breath went in through clenched teeth and hissed out the same way. His brown eyes were tightly closed as he rode the waves of pain crashing along his nerve endings. He almost wished he could give in to the darkness threatening in the periphery.

"That was your choice. You could have faced up to what you did, like Rachel has," Reid pushed. Why hadn't the BAU realized they were missing? Why weren't they here to safe them? Reid recognized the voice asking the questions as being a younger, more vulnerable side of his psyche.

"Don't say the bitch's name to me," Mary growled. Her life had been so much better before Rachel came back into her life. She had actually been happy working in her bar, tending to her regular customers. Then the bitch showed up, dangling things in front of her that she'd long since squashed. It was all her fault. Why should Mary spend time in jail for something that wasn't her fault?

The two FBI agents had been the one mistake Mary had made. She might have been able to keep Jared and Matt hidden for years so she could use them for her pleasure. The FBI agents were why it had all gone to hell. She hadn't been able to control her impulses once she saw young Spencer and then Hotch. They were too beautiful, too perfect. They were all she'd been able to think about after she slipped away down the tunnel. Her need for them had nearly gotten her caught.

The last two months since the time in the tunnels, Mary had spent every waking minute trying to figure out how to get them under her spell again. To do all the things she felt they deserved for ruining her perfect world. They had to know what they'd done. They had to feel fear and shame for ruining her life. If her brother wanted to rape Rachel, well, that would work too. It was about time the bitch got what she deserved too.

Suddenly feeling so much happier, Mary found a piece of cloth, picked up the red hot length of metal and turned toward her captives. She didn't want Hotch to see this coming. She liked seeing him jump in fear. It suited him so well. Looking down at Reid, Mary considered how to keep the kid quiet. The gag hadn't worked very well. She could duct tape it in place but he was having too much trouble breathing. She didn't want him to suffocate.

"Are you too tired to play?" Mary asked as she looked over at her brother. She nodded her head toward Reid. The kid was about to say something else. She really didn't want to hear it. Lifting a foot, she was about to kick him in the side of the head when her brother caught hold of her leg.

Grinning like a kid at Christmas, Doug crawled onto the bed frame. He suddenly didn't feel tired at all. Catching hold of Reid's head with both his hands, Doug pressed his lips against the young profiler's and revelled in the sensation.

Satisfied, Mary turned toward Hotch. Young Spencer was going to be busy for a while. Behind her, she could hear Spencer struggling and whimpering slightly. The sound sent a thrill through her body.

Finally recovered enough to realize something was going on, Hotch was looking around, trying to see something other than dark shadows. He heard the sounds Reid was making and knew it didn't bode well. Scanning around him, listening as hard as he could, Hotch was completely unprepared for the sudden pain that flared up in his hip.

Gasping, Hotch tried to pull away. He didn't know for sure what it was but a cloud of burning skin floated by his nostrils. Then the pain increased tenfold as something hot and sharp was dug into his flesh. It started at his left hip and was slowly moving, as if a design was being drawn in his flesh. Unable to stop it any longer, Hotch felt a stifled scream slip from between his lips, then another and another. Beyond the sounds he and Reid were making, Hotch could just make out a giggle. Mary was enjoying herself.

OOOOO

"I found them!" Garcia cried from her computer screen. Looking up at her associates, she read the various levels of hope in their faces. She hated to dash it but she needed to amend that statement. "Well, not exactly, but I think I know which direction they were taken in."

"I know you'd find something," Morgan breathed in relief. Stepping up beside Garcia's chair, he and the others huddled around the computer screen. "What do you have?"

"We know where Hotch and Reid's cell phones were at the time of the crash. While they were rendered inoperable shortly thereafter, I started to think. Everyone has a cell phone these days. So, I hacked the nearest cell towers to the accident to see if there were any cell phones in that area at that time. I got two hits. To make matters more convincing, the two cell phones had been talking to each other from the time the first cell phone left the court house until the accident site," Garcia said, talking as quickly as she could.

"I know that the two cell phones then moved away together toward the prison. They left the highway twenty miles along and followed a side road. Unfortunately, thirty miles along that side road there is a huge dead zone. I lose them there but the cell phones don't pop up anywhere else. They are within that dead zone."

"Thank God," J.J. breathed. She was so relieved to know that they were a step closer to finding Reid and Hotch. Now if they could find the other twin, the day would almost have been worthwhile.

"How big an area are we talking about here?" Rossi asked. He was having trouble figuring out the scale from the map she had on the screen. All ready he was dialling Sheriff Hicks. While they were stuck here, the sheriff and his men could begin the search based on Garcia's information.

"About a hundred square miles. The area is very sparsely populated. It was badly hit during the 80's when there were a lot of farm foreclosures. I've found thirty homesteads so far that have been abandoned. Only five of them were sold by the bank to new families. There may still be more out there," Garcia said. She hated to bear bad news but at least they had a better idea of where to go.

"Can you send the area to Sheriff Hicks? I want him to start searching the area," Rossi stated. At a nod from the blond computer tech, Rossi slipped out of the room to have his conversation with the sheriff. Things were starting to look up.

OOOOO

The first thing Rachel became aware of was the pain radiating from her groin. Doug had been very aggressive. The fact that she'd fought him every step of the way only seemed to excite the man further. Swallowing bile, Rachel tried to move her limbs. Her legs were unchained but that didn't really seem like it would help. At the moment, Rachel wasn't sure she could stand or even crawl.

Slowly the pounding from across the room filtered into Rachel's consciousness. Her hands were shackled. She could feel the cold metal biting into her wrists. Pulling on them, Rachel was surprised to find that she wasn't chained to the wall.

Opening her eyes for the first time, Rachel was somewhat disappointed to find nothing but darkness. Maybe she was back in the crawl space. But no, the pounding on the far wall wasn't muffled enough. She was on her right side, her prison pants and underwear gone. She still had her shirt on, thank God, and her legs were drawn up to her chest.

In the dark, Rachel searched her immediate vicinity for her pants. Doug had been impatient. He wouldn't have bothered putting them too far away. Her shaking fingers ran over the dirty floor. She didn't want to sit up until she had her pants on. She could feel moisture between her legs and could smell the metallic scent of blood. That's what she got for fighting. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Finally, her fingers ghosted over the material. Grasping it, Rachel pulled it toward her and struggled to sort it out in the dark. She didn't really care if the pull-on pants were inside out but she didn't want to have to try to put them on more than once. Material, even as filthy as her prison pants, never felt so damned good. Pulling it up over her legs and the around her waist, Rachel stifled a moan.

"Rachel!!" The voice was coming from behind the other wall. It sounded like Jack Cullen. Well, she was as free as she was likely to get so Rachel started to pull her aching body across the filthy floor. She was scared, humiliated and ashamed. One part of her mind kept thinking she'd gotten what she'd wanted so it was her own damned fault.

The pounding got closer. Then Rachel nearly rammed her head against the wall. Running her hands along it, she felt where it was being kicked. Forcing her fingers in the seam of the wood panel, Rachel pulled with all her might. The panel slid easily along the tracks inside the wall. A foot came out of the dark. Rachel had just enough time to get the hell out of the way.

"It's me," Rachel hissed as she moved toward the hole.

"Are you okay?" Deputy Cullen asked. His voice was quiet, soft. She knew instantly that he knew. Bile rose in her throat.

"Yeah," quickly she chose to change the subject. "My hands are cuffed but my legs are free. How can I help you get out of there?"

"I'm going to kill him," Jack said in just as quiet a voice. It was scary in its intensity. It also warmed Rachel's heart. It was the first time anyone had expressed disgust at what had been done to her in her entire life.

"Let's concentrate on trying to get out of here," Rachel stated. Reaching into the dark confines, she found Jack's elbows and followed them up to where his arms were chained to the wall. If only she'd paid more attention to the TV shows that demonstrated how to pick locks.

OOOOO

"We'll head out there right away," Sheriff Hicks reassured Agent Rossi. He was very relieved to have someplace definite to search. There was a lot of country out around the accident site. Even the dead zone was large but it gave them someplace to concentrate their efforts.

"By the way, a mutual friend has come forward to help with the search," Hicks stated. He looked at the man across his desk. He was grateful for the man's help. He could do things the sheriff, due to his station, was unable to do.

"Who would that be?" Rossi asked.

"Dave and his brother, Jared. They've been trying to locate Mary for the last two months between bounty hunting jobs. They followed her trail back here," Hicks stated. Jared looked so much better than the last time he'd seen him. There was still a skittish kind of edge to him that made the sheriff sad but he didn't blame him. He doubted the young man would ever feel completely safe knowing Mary was still out there.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I do a little dance every time I get one. At this rate I might actually lose a pound or two. ;)_

_Enjoy chapter nine!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER NINE

"Do you have anything on you to jimmy the locks with?" Rachel asked. She was in prison clothes, which consisted of red scrubs. There was nothing on her to help.

It took Deputy Cullen a moment to think. "My badge. There's a pin behind it, holding it in place," he said. Jack started when he felt a shaky hand touch his chest. He knew it was Rachel but it was very unnerving in the dark. He wanted to catch Rachel's hand, to stop it from trembling. But the ever present shackles wouldn't let him.

"I'm so sorry," Jack breathed. He could smell the sex on her. He could also smell the blood and the fear. The woman had gotten his badge off of his pocket and followed his arm to his right hand shackle. Within a few seconds, she was leaning against him, her body shaking like a leaf.

"It's not your fault," Rachel responded, her voice sounding a little watery. She was having trouble with the lock on the shackles. Mostly, though, she was having trouble with her body. She was exhausted beyond imagining and sore in ways she'd never considered. Being this close to the handsome deputy made her feel dirty. Gritting her teeth, Rachel stopped thinking about herself and worked on the stubborn lock. The deputy was their best chance to get out of here.

OOOOO

Reid felt as if his lips were bruised. The man on top of him was considerably heavier than him and seemed to enjoy the fact. While Doug's lips ravaged Reid's mouth, his hands traveled over the young profiler's body. The very act made Reid want to vomit. But he couldn't. He was having enough trouble breathing. He did notice something kind of odd though. There was no lust in Doug's ministrations. It was more like he was doing it because it was expected of him. Reid took some solace in the fact that he didn't excite the man.

For his part, Hotch was barely conscious. He hung limply from the shackles while Mary returned to the fire. She wasn't quite done yet and the metal had cooled too much to be of any use. Humming, she glanced over at the man. He was still beautiful but there was a vulnerability that absolutely sung to her. This was just how she liked him.

The stifled screaming began again as Mary reapplied the brand to Hotch's skin. Her work of art wasn't finished yet. The longer it took, the happier she was. Then Hotch slumped completely as he lost consciousness. His mind couldn't handle any more abuse. Mary ignored this fact until she had completed the design on his hip. Sitting back, she took better stock of Hotch's situation.

Suddenly, Mary was ravenous. "You still hungry?" she asked without turning around to face her brother.

"Yeah," Doug replied after he pulled his face away from Reid's. The kid just wasn't doing it for him. It was too disconcerting to find familiar genitalia when he felt below the kid's waist. Rachel was much more fun.

Crawling off the kid, Doug threw a blanket over him before going back to his step. Mary was puttering in the back of the basement, setting up the gas camp stove, etc. She paused long enough to turn toward her brother.

"If you haven't hurt Rachel too badly, you should bring her down here. Agent Hotchner could use a little help," she stated. There were still a few things she wanted to try on the stoic senior agent. She'd like the sound of him screaming. She wanted to hear it again. But for that he needed to be awake, which required that she had him fixed up as much as she could.

"I'll see," Doug said. He pried his bulk off the step and headed to the main floor.

OOOOO

It seemed to take an eternity but finally, Rachel somehow managed to pick the lock on the shackle and none too soon. She wasn't sure if she could keep her body upright much longer. Once the shackle clicked, Deputy Cullen caught Rachel as she nearly collapsed.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked as he helped the woman to a seated position on the ground in front of him. After what she'd just been through he didn't want to touch her any more than necessary. He had the feeling she might not be up to it at the moment.

"Just tired and sore," Rachel stated. She passed the badge into Jack's free hand. He could work faster than her. "You need to get free and go get help."

"I'm not leaving you or the agents," Jack responded as he worked feverishly at the left shackle.

"I don't think any of us will be able to watch very far. You need to get out of here, find help and bring it back here," Rachel persisted.

"There are only two of them. I can handle that many," Jack said. It was harder to pick a lock than the movies showed, especially in the dark. Then he felt a click and the shackle fell away from his left wrist. Now he just had to get the ones off his ankles. Bending to the work, he listened to Rachel's rationalization.

"You don't have a gun. There's too great a risk that they will hurt Hotch or Reid. If we get you free and shut the door over the crawl space, they might not realize you're gone until it's too late. There has to be a house with a working phone around here someplace," Rachel said.

"I don't want to leave you here," Jack said. Now that he'd done it once, the first ankle came loose much faster.

"I know. But you have to. Otherwise this is just going to keep going on," Rachel stated. "Before you leave you have to move me back over to where Doug left me. I don't think I can get there by myself."

OOOOO

Climbing up the stairs, Doug opened the door at the top and made his way to where he'd left Rachel lying on the ground. He'd had her hard and fast. He honestly didn't expect her to be able to move so he hadn't secured her in any way but cuffing her hands. As he walked up to her, he thought he heard the continued thumping from where Deputy Cullen was secured. He chose to ignore it.

"Get up," Doug said as he shoved Rachel lightly with his foot. The woman had been lying on the filthy ground for nearly two hours. He didn't want to touch her.

"Why?" Rachel asked her voice low and crackly. She was beginning to feel the first signs of dehydration.

"Mary wants you to tend to her toys," Doug stated. Catching hold of Rachel's nearest arm, he pulled her to her feet and dragged her toward the door. He never even noticed that the banging had stopped. Rachel had heard him coming in and been doing it herself. She allowed herself to be hauled toward the basement. She wanted to see Reid and Hotch and see how they were faring. She'd heard Hotch's screams, they'd helped to cover the sounds of Deputy Cullen leaving, and had wanted to see him ever since.

In the basement, Rachel was appalled by what she found. Hotch was still unconscious, slumped in his chains. Reid at least was covered in a blanket but Rachel could swear she saw whisker burn on his face. Glancing at Doug, she reconfirmed that the man hadn't shaved for a few days. Anger began to boil in her stomach. She wanted to kill both of them.

Pushing away from Doug, Rachel stepped over to Reid and did a quick examination of him. Clearly he'd been man handled but other than a few bruises and the cut on his genitals, he hadn't really suffered any new damage. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked. Without being asked, Mary had handed Rachel a bottle of water and she was helping Reid drink some of it.

"Yeah," Reid replied as he looked at their jailers. He would rather have this conversation without them eavesdropping. He was shocked by Rachel's appearance. Her face was covered in bruises and as he watched her move, he knew she was in pain. Damn, damn, damn, he swore in his mind. All the signs were there, Rachel had been raped. Reid knew she'd done it to protect him from suffering the same fate. "How are you?"

"I'll live," Rachel responded with a crooked grin. She knew she looked like crap. Hell, she felt like crap. Four mouthfuls later, Rachel ran a hand through Reid's dishevelled hair and dragged her protesting body to her feet. She needed to see to Aaron. Mary had been beating him with something but that didn't account for the screaming.

Once she got a closer look, Rachel was barely able to keep from throwing up. The man's torso was virtually stripped of the first few layers of skin. The blood running into his boxers had made them cold and stiff.

"I need warm water, soap and towels," Rachel stated. Her voice was a monotone. She didn't bother to turn to face Mary. She knew that if she did, she would have launched herself at the woman. The anger was quickly turning to rage. Then she saw the angry, red mark on Aaron's hip. On the inflamed skin, she could clearly make out a fanciful letter 'M'. Mary had branded the FBI agent.

"You are even crazier than I'd imagined," Rachel hissed. "Now I know there's no saving you."

"And it's all your doing," Mary said as she placed a basin of water within Rachel's reach along with a bar of soap and several clothes. "I was fine until I saw you in that department store. All of this is your responsibility."

Ignoring the woman, Rachel started at the side of Aaron's head and began carefully washing him off. The blood was thick and cold. Rachel was amazed that the senior FBI agent was suffering from a severe case of hypothermia. Done with his head, Rachel began cleaning his shoulders and chest. Mary had had a little too much fun with Aaron this time.

By the time Rachel had reached Aaron's stomach, the water was a bright red colour and no longer clean. Stepping back, Rachel leaned against the wall while Mary went to refill the basin. Whatever Mary was cooking in the back of the basement, smelled like heaven. Rachel was sure she'd made a meal that had to be cooked so that the aroma would torment her and the agents. It did a very good job.

"Here," Mary said as she plopped the basin down on the ground by Aaron's feet. Now that the blood was gone on the agent's chest, she could appreciate her handiwork. The long, shallow cuts criss-crossed over Hotch's skin, while it was unlikely they'd scar, it would certainly cause a good deal of pain. Just what Mary had in mind when she did it.

"You better get back to your food," Rachel stated as she knelt down beside the basin to rinse one of the few clean clothes left out. "I think it's burning."

"My but we're bitter today," Mary said as she sauntered back over to the stove. She liked it when Rachel grated at her. It let her know she was getting to the younger woman.

Not bothering to respond, Rachel began the process anew on Hotch's stomach and back. Even his sides were covered with cuts and welts. The need to strangle Mary kept rising in Rachel's mind. Her hands were starting to shake even worse with the pent up emotion.

A small moan floated up from Hotch's lolling head. The sound broke Rachel's heart. It was followed by a longer, louder moan as the FBI agent began to regain consciousness. Finishing as quickly as she could, Rachel got the wounds as clean as she could. With one cloth she'd kept specifically for that purpose, Rachel soaked it in the pinkish coloured water and the gently pressed it against the mark Mary had made on Hotch's hip.

"Aaah," Hotch exclaimed as his head came up and he blinked blurry eyes at the figure huddled before him. While he was grateful that he could see more than just shadows within shadows, his vision was still not clear. It was like trying to discern shapes and people using a smouldering match in a lightless room. When he was close enough he could almost make out a face but Rachel was too far away. The pain spiking through his hip, down to his knee and up to his rib cage made it even harder to concentrate.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. She needed to get the brand clean. From the looks of it Mary hadn't worried too much about creating a sterile field. "I know it hurts."

Hotch tried to respond but he just didn't have it in him. He was in agony, exhausted and his throat was on fire. Blinking rapidly, he tried to get his eyes to cooperate further, with no luck. At least now he could have a better idea when Mary was coming at him. Rachel removed the cloth from his hip, stood up and helped him drink four mouthfuls of water from the water bottle.

"Thank you," Hotch managed.

OOOOO

It was the hardest thing Deputy Cullen had ever had to do. Looking back over his shoulder, he put the house to memory so that he could lead help back. The sounds of Hotch screaming would probably haunt him til the day he died.

The ground around the house was pretty flat. The only cover he could find was the outbuildings. Searching the largest one, he discovered the SUV. Efficiently, he searched it, hoping to find a weapon. If he found a gun, he'd head back into the house. He couldn't live with himself if he let the torture continue any longer than absolutely necessary. Briefly he considered hot-wiring the SUV. But he didn't want to take the chance he'd tip the two perps to his absence. The longer it took them to realize he was gone, the greater his chances of finding help.

Giving up on the SUV, Cullen slipped out the back of the shed and ran for all he was worth. There had to be another house out here somewhere with a phone.

OOOOO

With a map of the dead zone area in Jared's hands, the brothers headed out. The deputies were going to take a little while longer to mobilize and the brothers didn't feel like waiting. Since getting away from Mary, Jared had been plagued by frequent nightmares. In recent weeks he'd finally gotten to the point where he didn't wake his brother up with his screams.

"What are we going to do if we catch her?" Jared asked from the passenger side of his brother's muscle car. Dave was driving like a bat out of hell. The dead zone was an hour drive under normal speeds. Jared had the feeling they were going to make it in a quarter of the time.

"Shoot her like the dog she is," Dave replied. He was only half joking. Jared thought he'd mastered the art of not waking him up when he had his nightmares but Dave always heard. Lying with his back to his brother in the hotel room, he always woke up and laid there waiting until he heard his brother's hitching breaths even out in sleep. Then and only then did Dave allow himself to fall back asleep as well.

"As much as I'd love to see that, I don't think the sheriff or the FBI officers would appreciate it much," Jared replied.

"If we find her first we get to decide how to deal with her. Personally, I think several years in a jail cell with a very large woman named Bertha wouldn't be out of line," Dave said. He had to slow down a little. The traffic on the highway was getting thicker. As much as he wanted to get to the area, he wasn't willing to take the chance of causing an accident.

"I agree," Jared said. Settling his long frame into the seat a little better, Jared closed his eyes. He never had the nightmares if he slept in the car. He stole naps when he could. "Just don't get a speeding ticket."

OOOOO

"The twin is conscious," Rossi announced. As one, the members of the BAU stood up and made a bee-line for the door. It wasn't a very good use of resources but they'd found absolutely no clues from the evidence found at the scene. Staring at the case files had gotten them nowhere as well.

"I'm driving," Morgan declared. None of the others bothered to argue. It would take too much time, time none of them felt they had.


	10. Chapter 10

_Here's the next chapter! I'm writing as fast as I can, honest. It's a good thing my seasonal job at the green house is done. It gives me even more time!!_

_Thank you very much for taking the time to review. Maybe someday I'll do my happy dance on YouTube. On second thought, no. That will never happen. It might break the lens of the camera. Anyway, thank you again._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TEN

By the time Rachel finished washing the wounds on Hotch's body, her legs were shaking. She knew she wasn't going to be able to remain upright much longer. But she also wanted to make sure that the lash marks and the brand were covered with antibiotic ointment. It was the best thing to keep the wounds clean while helping them heal without scaring.

It took everything Rachel had to not lean into the man suspended from the chains. While it would help keep her upright, it wouldn't help Hotch much. The senior FBI agent was barely conscious. Rachel was scared by how pale he'd become during her ministrations.

Mary was still busy cooking at the back of the basement. Doug was sitting on the steps, his eyes watching everything she did. It made Rachel's skin crawl. Not bothering to look at her tormentor, Rachel stumbled over to the bed Reid was secured to. She still had to reset Reid's nose. She'd been putting it off.

"Okay, Agent Reid," Rachel warned as she shifted up beside his head. "I'm going to set your nose. It's going to hurt like hell but the worst part is that I've never done it before. You might have to go through the procedure twice."

"You'll do fine," Reid said. Rachel had been able to do everything she set her mind to so far so he trusted her to do this as well. He just wished she'd hurry. The fact that he was having so much trouble breathing was causing him to begin to panic.

Gingerly, Rachel felt Reid's nose. She heard the younger man hiss when she found the cause of his problem. Without bothering to warn him, Rachel placed her thumbs on either side of the young profiler's nose and pressed.

The pain was incredible, beyond anything he'd felt so far. Reid was extremely grateful when it subsided within a few seconds and he could breathe so much easier. Relief flowed through him as Reid took a deep, lung filling breath.

"Thank you," Reid said, tears in his eyes in response to the pain and to the relief.

"You're welcome," Rachel replied. Then she turned toward Mary. She wasn't going to talk to Doug. The man had died to her the moment he'd attached her.

"I need to put ointment on Agent Hotchner's wounds. I don't think I can stand up long enough to do it. Could you release him and lay him down on a blanket?" Rachel had chosen her words carefully. She didn't want to antagonize the woman but she desperately wanted to help ease Hotch's discomfort.

Mary's immediate response was hell no. The last thing she wanted was to make things easier on the agent. She wanted him to suffer as much as possible. Then she looked closer at the man's face. Carefully she weighed the joy of watching him grimace and moan in pain with the need to keep him alive.

"Leave one of his ankles shackled," Mary instructed her brother. Doug just looked at her and kind of grunted. "Just so Rachel doesn't get any ideas shackle her ankle with the other chain."

Doug didn't really like that idea. It meant that Rachel was stuck down here with them. He wasn't about to have sex with her in front of his sister. Grumbling under his breath, Doug lumbered over to the wall. He glanced down at Reid as he passed the thin young man. Maybe he'd have to do after all.

As soon as Doug released Hotch's right hand, the agent began to collapse. On shaky legs, Rachel moved to the wall, braced her back against it and slid down. She managed to catch Aaron before he hit the dirt. That was the last thing he needed after she'd just spent so much time cleaning out the wounds. Doug glared down at her but Rachel ignored him.

"I need a blanket," Rachel stated, her eyes down. She didn't want to look at the son of a bitch. Instead, she concentrated on Hotch. The agent was beginning to stir slightly and squirm a little. She figured the pain of his wounds pressing on anything would be unpleasant.

Coming from the back of the room, Mary threw a sheet at Rachel. Rachel spread it out beside her and manoeuvred Hotch onto it. As much as she wanted to hold him, she didn't want his wounds coming in contact with the filth on her clothes.

Once Hotch's left arm was released and his right leg, Rachel wrapped the blanket around him and pulled Hotch's limp body up against her. His right side wasn't as badly damaged as his left side so she'd positioned that side against her torso. Anyplace else would have just caused him more pain. That was the last thing she wanted to be responsible for. She ignored the feel of Doug's hands while he attached the shackle to her leg.

"Do you think you could undo my hands? It would make doing this so much easier. It's not like I'm going anywhere," Rachel suggested. The chain to her wrists was trapped between her and Hotch. It was biting into her flesh. She could only imagine what it was doing to him. Grunting, Doug unlocked her wrists.

Reaching behind her, Rachel pulled the medical kid around so she could get to the ointment. Hotch was curling in on himself, going into a fetal position. She noticed, however, that his left leg was lying on the dirt, cocked at a ninety degree angle while his right one was braced on the ground by his ankle. Even unconscious, he was trying to reduce the pressure on his genitals. With a sinking feeling, Rachel realized Mary had been up to her old tricks.

As gently as she could manage while still keeping Hotch upright, Rachel began applying the ointment. It was a slow process but that was fine. The longer it took the less time Mary would have to abuse the man. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Mary and Doug settle in the back of the basement. They were eating the food Mary had made. From past experience Rachel knew the food would be delicious, Mary was a very good cook. Her stomach growling, Rachel continued to work on Hotch.

Against her chest, Rachel could feel Hotch tremble slightly. Then his head came up and he looked at her, his dark eyes pain lined but much clearer than the last time she'd looked into them. Her mind skittered away from the fact that she was sitting here holding Hotch and the only thing between her and the attractive agent was two pieces of cloth. Great, that's the last thing the guy needed, more unwanted attention.

"How are you?" Rachel asked quietly. She could feel Reid's eyes on the two of them, watching with interest. At least knowing the young profiler was watching her didn't creep her out. She just hoped he wasn't wasting his time profiling her.

"Fine," was Hotch's automatic response. His voice broke though. It disconcerted him to wake up and find Rachel holding him. It made him feel vulnerable, something he didn't like much, especially since for a split second he felt the urge to bury his face in her shirt and wait for the world to go away. Hotch involuntarily hissed as Rachel applied the ointment to his hip. He didn't even want to look at it.

"I needed to put ointment on some of these but I couldn't stand up anymore. I'm sorry," Rachel stated. She turned from his face and resumed putting ointment on the gashes. Now that he was awake, Hotch's body when kind of rigid against hers. She'd know it was a bad idea but it was the best she could do. Instantly feeling dirty and subhuman, Rachel continued to work. It was easier than acknowledging the fact that she was holding the FBI agent.

Now that his eyes were a little clearer, Hotch got a better look of Rachel's face. If she hadn't been so close, her features would have been impossible to see. What he found in her round face turned his blood cold. He'd seen that look before. He knew it all too well on the victims he'd worked with most of his adult life. The fact that he was seeing it on Rachel's face nearly broke his heart.

"That's all right," Hotch said as he felt Rachel's gentle fingers running over his skin. He hissed again. All the pain he'd been in in recent hours had reduced his ability to mask it.

"I'm sorry," Rachel breathed. This suddenly seemed like a very bad idea. All she wanted to do was to climb into a corner and die.

"It's not your fault," Hotch stated. He shifted a little to get more comfortable. The best place he found was leaning his shoulder into Rachel's chest, that way his side didn't actually come in contact with anything but the sheet. The sheet felt like the greatest thing in the world. Between the warmth from Rachel's body and the numbing action of the antibiotic ointment, Hotch was finding it hard to stay awake. But he had to know one thing first. "How's Reid?"

"He's fine," Rachel reassured him. She didn't want to go into details with Mary and Doug being so close. "Just try to sleep. It's probably the best thing for you right now."

OOOOO

Putting the only available landform between himself and the house, Deputy Cullen slid into an old irrigation channel. He had to run bent over to keep from being seen. He'd decided to get back to the road and search along there. It was his best chance of finding another house.

He was already tired and thirsty but he wasn't going to give in to either. The two agents and Rachel were depending on him finding someone, anyone who could help them. He needed to contact Sheriff Hicks and the local law enforcement. He also needed to contact Hotchner and Reid's coworkers in the BAU. Between the three agencies they should be able to figure out a way to get the hostages out of the house without a blood bath.

Cullen wasn't sure if Mary was suicidal. He would really like to be the one to take the shot at her and her brother, especially her brother. Glancing over his shoulder, Cullen couldn't see the house any more. Breaking out in a run again, he heard his boots crunching along the gravel road. While he ran, Cullen said a silent prayer that the three people would still be alive when he got back.

OOOOO

The doctor had all ready warned the BAU members to keep the interview short. The twin was exhausted and weak after his ordeal. The doctor wasn't even sure he would be of any help.

Stepping into the too white hospital room, Rossi took the lead. The twin looked a lot better than the last time he'd seen him. At least now he was clean and had some color back in his skin. The kid's blue eyes flickered open and came to rest on the FBI agents.

"Have you found Thomas?" the boy asked. His parents had just left the room. They hadn't left his side since he'd been found. After being kidnapped, he didn't think he wanted them to leave either.

"No, not yet. We were hoping you might be able to help us. What can you tell us about what happened to you?" Rossi asked. He could feel Morgan, Emily, and J.J. behind him, waiting impatiently for the answer.

"Thomas and I were walking home from school. We'd stayed late to study at the library," Edward stated. "It was dark out. We took a shortcut through the park by the school. I know it was a stupid thing to do at night but we'd done it a thousand times and we were tired."

"They came out of the bushes. There were two of them. A man and a woman. They grabbed Thomas first, held a knife to his neck, told me they'd kill him if I didn't come with them. They took us to a black SUV, tied us up and threw us in the back. Then the man hit us. I think he was trying to knock us out but he didn't hit me hard enough," Edward said. He was staring out the window of the room, remembering.

"We drove for a long time. I tried to get my hands and feet free but I couldn't. Thomas was out cold. They took us to a house out on the outskirts of town. It was old, broken down. They kept us in the SUV for the night. I tried to get away but I couldn't," the longer he spoke, the more distraught Edward became. He felt like he'd failed his kid brother.

"What did they do with you in the morning?" Rossi asked.

"They injected us with something. I don't know what it was but it made me very light headed and I lost some time," Edward said. "When I woke up again I was in that place and the woman was there with me. She did things...awful things.."

The twin was having trouble speaking. The memories were too fresh, too powerful.

"Do you know where the house is?" Rossi asked. He needed to keep the kid on track. They knew his brother wasn't where they found him. They needed to explore the other options.

"If you give me a map, I might be able to," Edward stated as he sat up a little more in his bed. He had to help his brother. This was the best way to do it. He knew intuitively that Thomas wasn't dead. He'd feel it if his twin was no longer on this earth.


	11. Chapter 11

_Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!! I've thoroughly stuffed myself with turkey and all the trimmings. ;) Still have enough energy, though, to get another chapter out on this. _

_Thank you ever so much to everyone who took the time to review. It means the world to me, honest!_

_If you're not too sleepy from all the turkey, enjoy the next chapter._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Their meal finished, the dishes watched and put away, Mary and Doug were still in the back of the basement. Now that they were fed and content, sleep was trying to steal over them. Neither one could remember the last time they'd slept.

"What are we going to do with them?" Doug asked as he looked over at their three hostages. He wasn't worried about the deputy. If the man starved he'd be perfectly happy, one less person to deal with.

"They can stay where they are for the night. They're not going anywhere," Rachel stated. She glanced at them as well. It really burned her to see Rachel holding the older agent. She knew it was jealously that the other woman was more worthy of his trust. But if it kept Agent Hotchner alive and more aware, she was willing to use it. After all, they still had all the time in the world.

"I'm taking the bed," Doug stated. He loved feeling the young, skinny kid squirm. He had no intentions of doing anything sexual with the boy. He just wanted to make him think he was. Standing up, Doug walked over to the bed where Reid was lightly dozing.

Standing beside him, Doug threw a blanket over the metal springs and plopped down beside Reid. Doug pulled the blanket that was covering Reid out from under him and slid it over top of him as well. Using the kid's arm as a pillow, he pressed his body up against the kid's, enjoying the warmth of his scrawny body. All ready the kid has started to tremble slightly.

"You're so damned cute," Doug breathed. The kid shied away from him but the chains wouldn't let him get very far. Doug slipped his hand onto the kid's chest and began rubbing the smooth, tender skin. If he closed his eyes, he could almost convince himself that it was Rachel he was touching. Until he reached below the waist and felt things Rachel would never have.

Reid stiffened. The man smelled. He hadn't had a shower in a few days. His hands were rough and callused. There was nothing gentle or arousing about the way the man touched him. It wasn't meant to pleasure, it was intended to hurt. Closing his eyes and turning his head away from the man, Reid tried to imagine he was anywhere else but here.

"You know, I could almost do you," Doug breathed into Reid's neck as he buried his face into it and began to suck and bite on his smooth skin. The kid's slow tremor was turning more into an all out shiver. Smiling, Doug continued. He'd fall asleep soon enough, might as well have fun with the kid until then.

"Get your filthy hands off him," Rachel growled from the wall. She'd tried to keep her tongue. The last thing she wanted was to draw Doug's attention towards her. But she couldn't watch what was going on and not say anything. Hotch shifted up against her. She had both of her hands wrapped over his left shoulder. He was sound asleep and she wanted to keep him that way, as long as possible.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?" Doug asked. He didn't even bother to lift his head off of Reid's neck and shoulder. There were red marks all ready beginning to appear. They made him happy.

"When this is all over, I swear I'm going to see you rot in jail for the rest of your natural life," Rachel hissed. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it but she was going to make sure it happened.

"That doesn't give me much incentive to stop, does it?" Doug replied. He was grinning against Reid's flesh. The anger in her voice amused the hell out of him.

"If you stop now, I won't press charges for raping me," Rachel pleaded.

"I really don't think that's going to be a problem," Doug responded, a hard edge to his voice.

"Will you two shut up?" Mary called from the other end of the basement. She'd set herself up with all the other blankets. Rolling over, she turned out the gas lantern beside her. Maybe they'd take the hint and go to sleep as well.

OOOOO

It was growing dark. Panic was beginning to gnaw on the edges of Deputy Cullen's mind. This was taking too long. There was no telling what Mary and her brother had done while he was gone.

The gravel under his feet made the going that much harder. He kept tripping on it as he tried to scramble forward. To keep from tripping any more than necessary, Cullen was running with his head down. He was concentrating so hard that at first he didn't hear the vehicle coming towards him. Then he saw the headlights reflecting off the gravel.

Deputy Cullen's head snapped up and he anxiously slid off to the shoulder of the road. He knew it was illogical but the fear that it might be Mary and Doug took his breath away. The vehicle came up at a fast pace and screeched to a halt beside the shaking deputy. It had gotten cold now that the sun was gone.

Relief flowed through the deputy as the vehicle's make and model became apparent. He'd seen it before.

"Hey, dude. What the hell are you doing out here?" Dave called out as he jumped out of the driver's side and came around the front of the vehicle. He didn't really recognize the man but he knew the uniform well enough. This was one of Sheriff Hicks' deputies and there was only one he knew for sure was missing.

"The FBI agents and Rachel. They've been kidnapped by Mary West and her brother. You need to contact the sheriff and let him know where they are," Cullen said, his strength evaporating in the cold night air. He glanced up at Jared as he stepped out of the passenger side door. The kid looked so much better than the last time he'd seen him.

"I'm sorry, we can't. There's no cell phone coverage out here," Jared stated. He had to move quickly to keep the shorter man from doing a face plant in the gravel. Quickly, he ushered the deputy into the back seat of the car and threw a blanket over him.

"We need to get to a phone," Cullen said, barely keeping his eyes open. "Mary's up to her old tricks."

"We lost cell service over an hour ago," Dave said as he bounded back around the car to resume the driver's seat. Jared climbed back into the passenger seat. He glanced over the back of the seat to look at the deputy. He was sitting up but his eyes kept sliding closed.

"There was a house about twenty miles back. That'll take less time," Jared suggested.

"If they decided to open the door to a couple of strangers," Dave responded as he quickly turned the car around. Accelerating, he left a shower of gravel behind.

"Of course they will," Jared stated. "We have a cop with us."

OOOOO

"I have something better than a map," Rossi stated. Quickly, Morgan dialled Garcia's cell phone. The computer tech had stayed behind at the office. He was very grateful for that at the moment. Between what the kid remembered and Garcia's awesome ability with the computer, they should be able to find the house in a matter of minutes. Or so Rossi was hoping desperately.

The last report from Sheriff Hicks hadn't been particularly positive. He'd collected as many law enforcement officers as he could and had begun the search of the dead zone but it was a lot of ground to cover and darkness was only an hour away. They were running out of time if they hoped to find their fellow agents tonight.

Using the speaker phone, Edward told Garcia what he remembered and she entered the parameters into the computer search engine. They started out with an area that was thirty blocks and began to quickly narrow it down.

Finally, they had it down to an old subdivision. The lot sizes were much larger than the rest of the city. Digging up satellite maps was harder than Garcia had expected but eventually she found them.

"I'm sending the images to your PDA, Morgan. Tell me which one he picks and I'll give you the address," Garcia stated.

Opening the pictures, Morgan handed the device over to the quickly wilting teenager. Blinking several times to focus his eyes, Edward scanned the images. The first three weren't quite right. They were from the right era but whoever lived in them had taken good care of them. The fourth image made his blood run cold. Quickly, he pushed it toward the agent. "That's it."

"Thank you, Edward. We'll let you rest now," Rossi stated. Trying to not appear to be in a rush, the agents left the room. Morgan was relaying which picture the twin had chosen to Garcia. As Rossi, J.J. and Emily gathered around him, Morgan got the address. Garcia had even sent him a GPS map on how to get there from the hospital

"Garcia's informed the police officers. We're to meet them at the address in twenty minutes. Let's get back to the car," Morgan stated. Through silent agreement, the agents didn't bother to wait for the elevator. They went vaulting down the stairs.

OOOOO

Edward's description had been very accurate. They checked the address just to make sure but it was the most deserted of all the ones on the block. Behind it, were the city limits and an open field.

Around the corner of the street, the officers had collected, preparing their plan of attack. From what they were able to see there was no one in the house but they weren't willing to take a chance. The FBI agents were chomping at the bit but they waited impatiently. They needed to keep their emotions out of this.

The teams were split up. The FBI agents were chosen to make the frontal assault from across the street. Quickly and quietly, they made their way across to the dilapidated front porch of the house, their guns drawn and held loosely in one hand. Their gun hands were braced against their other hand, which held a flashlight. There was no electricity in the house

The interior was pretty much what they'd expected. Morgan led the way as they checked each and every room on the main floor. Then J.J. and Emily headed up to the second floor while Rossi and Morgan made the perilous descent in to the basement. The stairs had begun to rot and creaked under their feet.

Reaching the bottom, the men split up, each taking a side. The main floor of the house had been completely devoid of furniture and clutter. Even the vagrants of the area chose not to stay there. The basement was very different. There were old tables, sections of metal fencing, rusting paint cans, as well as other things neither agent wanted to identify. It made searching that much slower.

The only sound either man heard was the gentle drip, drip, drip of a leaky water faucet in the far corner of the basement and their own shallow breaths. Rossi was beginning to lose hope. There was no overt sign that anyone had been in the basement for some time. Throwing a rotting piece of table leg out of his way in frustration, Rossi's flashlight panned over the corner of the room.

In the gloom created by the junk between him and the corner, Rossi just barely made out an old wooden door. Still carefully scanning the area as he made his way toward it, Rossi tried to fight down the excitement. Maybe, just maybe this is where Thomas was being held.

The ground in front of the wooden door was disturbed. The door had been opened recently. Hissing at Morgan to get his attention, Rossi waited until the younger agent was able to move into place before he grasped the old latch and pulled the door open. His heart stopped. His flashlight beam had landed on a pair of bare feet.

"Oh, man," Morgan breathed as he practically dove into the small storage space. Using the light from Rossi's flashlight, Derek tentatively placed the first two fingers on his right hand on the filthy neck. The kid was tied up. He was filthy and bleeding. It looked like rats or mice had been feeding on him in the dark. But under all the blood and dirt, Morgan could clearly recognize the young face. They'd found Thomas.

"Is he alive?" Rossi asked, his hand reaching for his radio.

"Only just, but he's alive," Morgan responded as he pulled his coat off and gently placed it over the pale, shivering body.

"We need medical," Rossi called into his radio. Relief made his knees practically knock together. Once they had the boy squared away, they could join the hunt for Hotch and Reid.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the reviews. I almost worked off all the turkey doing my happy dance! _

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWELVE

Stopping at the first house they came on, the brothers and Deputy Cullen practically jumped out of the car and bounded up the stairs leading to the front porch. It was an older house but from what they'd seen in the headlights as they drove up to it, it was well maintained.

The lights were out when they got to the door but with heavy pounding, a light on the top floor came on.

"You're going to freak them out, Dave," Jared said. His brother was pounding on the door like a maniac. Deputy Cullen was resting against the railing of the porch. Jared was trying to keep his obsessed big brother from scaring away the natives.

"We can't afford to keep driving. We're all ready far enough from where Cullen found us," Dave hissed. He was staring through the glass panel in the front door, watching as yet another light turned on, this one in the stairway leading to the second floor. "Who the hell are these people? Quakers? Who goes to bed before eleven o'clock?"

"People who work hard all day?" Deputy Cullen suggested from the railing. He was having a hard time getting his thoughts off the people he'd left behind. There was no telling what Mary was going to do once she noticed he was gone.

"Hello??" Dave called as he saw a head peer around the corner at the door. "We need to use your phone!"

The head turned into a body as a large man came around the corner and paced to the door. "What's wrong?" the man asked without bothering to unlock the door.

"We need you to call Sheriff Hicks and give him this location," Deputy Cullen said as he stumbled forward. He needed the man to see his uniform, no matter how dirty it was. Hooking his thumb in his badge, Cullen made sure the man could see it in the light threading through the glass panel.

"What's the problem officer?" the man asked. The three men on the door step were anxious and earnest. The farmer wouldn't have been surprised to see a fleet of zombies running up the lane towards them.

"Two federal agents and a woman have been kidnapped. We know where they are but there's no cell phone coverage in this area," Cullen said.

"Okay, well, I'll go make the call. You stay out there," the farmer said. Glancing one more time at the men, he headed to the kitchen. His cordless phone was on the cradle charging, he had to use the old corded phone in the kitchen.

"Do you think he's going to do it?" Jared asked. He'd watched the man move to the back of the house. Listening carefully he could hear the man speaking.

"He has to, we have a cop with us," Dave said, a cocky grin on his face.

OOOOO

Just as a formality, David Rossi showed Edward a series of photos to see if he could pick out who his abductors were. As soon as the young man saw Mary West's face, his own face went pale and he began to shake.

"That's her. That's the woman," Edward whispered. He didn't have the strength for any more. Quickly, he glanced over at his little brother in the bed next to his. He didn't want him to see the picture. It was the last thing he needed. "Please tell me she's dead."

"No, I'm afraid not. But we know who she is so we will get her for you," Rossi assured the young man.

"She needs to fry for what she did to us," Edward hissed. He was watching the various machines monitoring his brother's life signs. The damage had been mostly external in nature but the doctors were still leery of his prognosis. He would live but whether he'd ever be the same remained to be seen.

"I don't think they have the death penalty for what she's done but I understand the sentiment. We'll be in touch. Right now the other agents are waiting for me on the plane. Take care and watch over your brother," Rossi stated. Nodding at the young man, he left the room. Now that he knew it had been Mary causing all of this he felt an even greater need to get to the dead zone.

OOOOO

Reid couldn't sleep. His hip was burning and he couldn't move to relieve the tension on it. Doug was lying beside him. The man had his right arm under Spencer's head. His left arm was nervelessly resting across Spencer's stomach and his right side. Doug's left leg was resting over top of Reid's thighs, putting pressure on his hip. No matter how much he squirmed, Reid couldn't dislodge the man.

His head turned away from the hateful man, Reid tried to keep his breathing even and shallow. He didn't want to do anything to wake Doug up. His hip was in agony but it didn't even begin to compare to the pain and burning on his neck from Doug's bites and lips. Those were especially heinous and humiliating. The one saving grace was that Hotch had been asleep for it.

Doug stirred against Reid's side. Holding his breath, Reid waiting desperately for the man to go back to sleep. Instead, Doug caught hold of Reid's left side and forced him to roll up onto his right side. Pain encompassed Spencer's whole being as his hip was twisted. Stunned, Reid was unable to function for a few moments while the pain gradually began to fade.

When Reid came back to himself, he felt Doug's left arm rubbing his chest and stomach. The man was pressed against his back. Reid was eternally grateful that Doug was still clothed. Still, he could feel a bulge beginning to press against his bare buttocks. Panic tried to overwhelm him. _No, no, no, no, this couldn't possibly be happening again!!_

Doug began to hump against Reid's back, slowly and gently, but enough that Reid could tell that he was becoming even more aroused. Despair tried to take over. "Please, please don't do this," Reid whimpered into the dark.

He felt Doug's hands grip him tighter and pull him a little more against the man's body. A whimpering moan slipped out of Reid's mouth while images of things to come played rapidly through his mind, effectively paralyzing him. He could feel as Doug pulled his shirt off and pressed his chest against Reid's back. Then he began to struggle with his belt.

"Oh God," Reid breathed as he tried to pull away despite the pain ripping through his hip and thigh. He had to get away. He couldn't let Doug do this to him.

"Get your filthy paws off him you freak!" The voice was Rachel's. It was filled with rage. Then Doug was being pulled away from Reid's back. There were a series of grunts but it was too dark to see what was going on. As soon as he was released, Reid rolled back onto his back. The grunts were louder and were both male and female.

"What the hell is going on?" Mary asked. Then the room was filled with light as she relit the gas lantern. In its wavering light, Reid could just make out Rachel pounding on Doug with a two handed fist. Hotch was lying on the ground, the sheet neatly wrapped up over him. Hotch's brown eyes were blinking in the light, trying to figure out what was going on.

Rachel looked while a wild woman. Rage twisted her face and gave her strength. She'd all ready knocked Doug unconscious with her first blow but couldn't seem to stop. All she wanted to do was pay him back for everything he'd done to all of them.

"Step away from him," Mary warned. She was standing five feet away, a gun pointed at Rachel. Her fists held over her head Rachel was prepared to strike the man again, and again, and again, as many times as she could. She was only vaguely aware of the fact that her hands were slick with blood. She'd broken Doug's nose and it was bleeding profusely.

"Go fuck yourself," Rachel hissed back. Looking up at Mary, she slowly lowered her hands. On second thought, if she let Mary kill her, that would leave Reid and Hotch to her tender mercies all alone. Breathing heavily, Rachel climbed off of Doug's still form. For the first time she saw what she'd done and her stomach twisted.

"Did you kill him?" Mary asked. She wasn't getting any closer, just in case. She'd never seen Rachel so completely out of control. The woman had never even been drunk. She didn't like to be out of control.

"I hope so," Rachel spat. Mary motioned for her to check with the barrel of her gun. Disgusted with the feel of the man's skin, Rachel quickly felt his neck for a pulse. Sadly, she found one. "No. I guess I'm not a murderer yet."

"Step back," Mary ordered. She emphasized the point with the gun.

Sighing, Rachel moved as far away from Doug as the shackle would let her. She glanced down at Hotch. The senior FBI agent was looking at her with wonder in his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't thought she'd had it in her. For once in her life, Rachel was almost glad she could disappoint.

Stepping forward, Mary caught hold of Doug's nearest limb and dragged him unceremoniously toward the back of the basement. She was all ready regretting her decision to not shackle both of Rachel's feet. The chain had been just long enough for the woman to reach her brother. And he had finally shown a little initiative. Damn it.

Doug's face was a mess. So were his neck and shoulders. Rachel had done a rather thorough job on him. Rolling Doug onto his side to keep him from drowning on his own blood, Mary through a blanket over him and left him where he was.

"You know someone's going to have to pay for this, don't you?" Mary said. She still held the gun. Randomly, she panned it back and forth between the three people. The relief on young Spencer's face was almost comical. The hate that burned in Rachel's dark eyes was a challenge. Hotch simply looked in her general direction and waited. She was going to do what she was going to do. At the moment he didn't have the energy to try to talk her out of it. Although it had amused the hell out of him when he realized what Rachel had done.

"I did it. Punish me," Rachel stated. For the first time she felt a little guilt for beating the crap out of Doug. If it resulted in one of the agents being injured she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"That would be far too easy," Mary replied. She was trying to decide. She needed to choose. Reid was her favourite but he'd all ready been injured once. He didn't need to lose any more blood, especially after the nose bleed Doug had given him. Hotch on the other hand was responsible for her brother's death. She'd all ready shot him once but he hadn't died from it. Then it was only fitting that she tried again. "Ready?"

Not waiting for a response, Mary swivelled toward Hotch, barely aimed and pulled the trigger. The sound of the discharge in the basement was deafening. It took a moment for the pain to register. Then Hotch's side felt like it had been torn apart.

"What are you doing?!" Rachel screamed as she moved to Hotch's side. The bullet wound was more of a deep graze. It ran from his back, a few inches from his kidney to the front. Blood was welling up quickly. Pulling the blanket out of the way, Rachel used it to press against the wound. "You are a bitch and I hope to see you die slowly and painfully."

"This coming from the woman who made me what I am today," Mary grinned. Hotch was panting as the pain crashed over his body. Mary loved watching his handsome face twist into one grimace after another. She should have done this a whole lot sooner.

OOOOO

The farmer thumped back to the door and turned the porch light on. Then he unlocked the door.

"The Sheriff would like to speak to you," he stated as he stepped aside, allowing the three men in for the first time.

"Which one of us?" Dave asked. The farmer hadn't been particularly specific.

"Deputy Cullen. The phone is in the kitchen," the farmer replied as he led the way.

While he'd been speaking with the sheriff of the next county over, Patrick had started coffee brewing. He'd had the feeling it was going to be a long bloody night. Motioning the deputy toward the phone, he set four mugs on the table and brought the carafe over.

"How do you take your coffee? This might take a while," Patrick stated, as he poured the hot, fragrant beverage into his favourite mug. It was a good thing he got the last of his crop in the bin earlier in the day. He had the feeling he wasn't going to be in any shape to run big machinery in the morning.

"Sheriff Hicks?" Cullen said into the phone. He'd hoped to have this conversation in private but this was going to have to do. Jared brought over one of the wooden kitchen chairs over to the phone on the wall so he didn't have to stand. Gratefully, he sank down onto the hard surface.

"Jack. Are you all right?" came the familiar voice. The barriers Cullen had managed to build began to crack. Tears were threatening to pour out of his eyes. "Are the others with you?"

"No, but I know where they are. How far away are you?" Cullen asked. He swallowed the emotions that threatened to well up. Now was not the time.

"Half an hour. We'll try to be there faster, just take it easy," Hicks stated. They were closing in. Hopefully they'd all be alive by then.


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm sorry this is kind of short and very late. Real life intruded this evening. I hope you enjoy it anyway! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be to this one but I do plan on trying to deal with the aftermath of all of this. We'll have to wait and see how successful I am at that._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Pressing with all her might, Rachel tried to stop the bleeding in Hotch's side. The bullet hole was jagged. If Hotch had had any amount of fat on his body, the wound track wouldn't have been quite as bad. As it was, it ripped across muscles and blood vessels. Cursing under her breath, Rachel felt Hotch writhing under her hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rachel kept repeating like a mantra. She wasn't sure if Hotch heard her but it helped her distance herself from the man's pain so she could concentrate better. Pulling the medical kit over, she found the bandages and rigged a compress dressing. As quickly as she could manage, she pulled the blanket out of the way and thrust the dressing over the long, bloody rupture.

Hotch gasped as the new pressure was applied. He was only dimply aware of his surroundings as he rode the waves of pain, one after the other. The pain was worse when Rachel pressed on it but somewhere in the recesses of Hotch's addled mind he knew he had to let her.

"Is he okay?" Reid asked from the bed. Rachel's body was in the way, he couldn't quite see what she was doing. The younger part of Reid's mind assumed that everything that had happened was his fault. It was his fault that Rachel had beaten Doug. It was his fault that Mary had shot Hotch in retaliation. He wanted to give in to the deep, dark despair trying to cloud his mind. He had to keep shifting to relieve the pain in his hip. Damn he wished it would heal all ready.

The logical part of Reid's mind, however, knew that the only people at fault here were Doug and Mary. The rest of them were completely innocent of everything that had happened. Dr. Heinz would be proud of his progress, Spencer was sure. He was all ready dreading the many more sessions all of this was going to cause him. If he made it out of here alive.

"This is all your fault," Mary shouted from the back of the basement. She was hovering over her brother. Doug hadn't come to yet. "You need to get your ass over here and fix him."

"No," Rachel responded in a firm voice. Mary was going to have to kill her. She had absolutely no intentions of helping the man. The sounds of Reid pleading with Doug to not rape him were stuck on a loop in her mind. She had the feeling the fear and desperation in young Spencer's voice was going to haunt her the rest of her days.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Mary demanded as she moved toward the other woman. She knew she'd have to undo the shackle for Rachel to reach her brother but she was planning on adding a little more incentive. Clearly Rachel was becoming belligerent and angry. This party was ending much sooner than she'd imagined.

"He can rot in hell for all I care," Rachel responded. Hotch's side didn't seem to be bleeding quite as much anymore. Carefully, she peeled the pressure bandage back just to see. Despite the nastiness of the wound, Mary hadn't severed a vein or artery. As bad as it looked, he shouldn't bleed out despite his earlier injuries.

"I'm sure he feels the same as you at the moment," Mary stated. Stepping up beside Rachel, she pointed her gun at the side of Hotch's head. She pressed the gun barrel against his bruised temple but in the cacophony of pain he was all ready in, Hotch barely noticed.

Automatically, Rachel reached to swipe the weapon away from Hotch. That was the last thing he needed. Pulling it away, Mary cracked it against Hotch's side before placing it back where it was. "Try that again and I'll pull the trigger," she stated.

"Just leave him and Reid alone. You've done enough to them all ready," Rachel said. She'd gone completely still. She still held the pressure bandage in place. The thought of touching Doug, however, made her want to vomit.

"And it's all your fault! This is happening because you showed me how much fun it was!" Mary shrieked. She pressed a little harder on the gun, forcing Hotch's head into the dirt beneath it. A slight moan escaped his lips.

"None of this is my doing, Mary. You didn't have to start abusing Matt. That was your decision. It was your decision to kidnap Reid, Hotch and Jared. What you did to all of them after that was also all your fault. It's about time you grew up and took responsibility for your actions. What happened to you while you were growing up is no excuse, believe me, I know," Rachel spat out. She was tired of being blamed for this. For all of it. The only one who made the decisions for Mary was Mary. No one held a gun to her head, unlike what she was doing to Hotch.

"Shut up, bitch. It's your fault Danny's dead! It's your fault Doug is hurt. Now, go over there and fix him up," Mary yelled. She was beginning to lose control. She could feel it and it terrified her and exhilarated her at the same time.

"Danny's dead because he was stupid enough to point a gun at an FBI agent. That was his fault. It is my fault that Doug is injured but I have no intentions of fixing him. He deserved everything he got. I'll do it again if you give me half a chance," Rachel stated. She was eerily calm. If she was going to die today, she was going to do it with dignity.

"Even if it means I hurt your precious federal agent? That would be your fault too," Mary hissed. She dug the gun barrel into the bruised flesh.

"No, it would still be yours. You are making decisions that I hope one day you come to regret," Rachel stated. Satisfied that the wound had stopped bleeding, Rachel began to tie the bandage in place. There was no way she was moving it now. If a clot had formed, it would be attached to the white cloth. Moving it might start Hotch bleeding again.

While the two women sparred verbally, Hotch came around enough to realize Mary was concentrated so hard on Rachel that she wasn't really paying attention to her weapon. As quickly as he could manage, Hotch brought his arm up and pulled the gun away from Mary. Or at least he tried to.

Grunting, Mary pulled back on the gun. Hotch had hold of the barrel and was trying to point it away from him or Rachel. But after all he'd been through. He was too weak to maintain his hold for long. It was long enough for Rachel to enter the fray.

In a silent battle, the two women fought over possession of the gun over top of Hotch's body. Rachel had her hands wrapped around Mary's hand on the trigger, to keep her from pulling it while she desperately tried to wrest it away from her. Mary was forced to use dirty pool. Even after dehydration and malnutrition, Rachel was stronger than her. Sinking her teeth into Rachel's nearest hand, Mary bit down as hard as she could. Blood ran down her chin.

OOOOO

Deputy Cullen was sitting at the kitchen table, his head rested on his crossed arms. Now that he'd talked to his boss, he was suddenly exhausted. He could dimly hear the brothers talking with the farmer. What was his name? Patrick? Jack was too tired to remember. Behind his closed eyes, he was retracing his steps, making sure he knew how to get back to the house.

It felt like it had been forever since the phone call. In reality it was probably twenty minutes. Vaguely, he heard the sounds of an engine, then two and three of them. Lifting his head up, Jack blinked in the sudden light while Dave and Jared quickly made their way to the front room. He saw the two men visibly relax as red and blue lights began flashing outside the door.

"Your boss is here," Patrick stated. He watched as Cullen pried his body out of the chair and headed for the door. Whatever was going on here, it wasn't good. Patrick could tell that from the state of Jack's uniform. It was torn and bloody. If someone was willing to do that to an officer of the law, they were truly barbaric.

The brothers and Cullen stepped out onto the porch and waited for the vehicles to stop moving. The lead one came to a sudden stop just in front of the porch and then Sheriff Hicks came bounding out of the passenger side before the dust cleared. Walking up to the porch, he nodded to the brothers before standing in front of his subordinate.

"Damn but it's good to see you," Hicks stated. All of his men were more like family than workers to him. It killed him to see the state Jack was in. He could only imagine that the others looked so much worse.

"We need to get going. I don't know if Mary has figured out that I've escaped yet but when she does she's going to go ballistic," Jack stated. Hicks placed a gentle hand on Jack's shoulder. It was as close to a hug as the sheriff ever got. "I can lead you back there."

"Even in the dark? The world looks very different once the light's gone. You know that," Hicks stated. He led Cullen back to the lead vehicle. The brothers were headed for their own car. There was no way they were going to leave it behind.

"I know but I still think I can." With the sheriff's car in the lead, the four cars turned and headed back down the road. Sheriff Hicks made a mental note to come back and thank the homeowner when they weren't so pressed for time.

OOOOO

The closest air port the jet could land on was a full hour away by car. The way Morgan drove, however, the BAU members were at the sheriff's station in half an hour. Rossi was grateful they'd all made it in one piece as he stepped into the well lit confines. The flight had been harrowing enough. Morgan's driving so soon after that was a shock to the system.

"Hello, Agent Rossi," the deputy behind the front desk stated. She recognized the other members of the BAU but she'd had the most interaction with the older agent. "Sheriff Hicks has headed into the cell phone dead zone. Deputy Cullen has escaped, found Jared and Dave and is leading them to the house where your agents and Rachel are being held."

"Here's a map of the farm that Cullen and the brothers called from. I will be tracker the GPS on the sheriff's cruiser. Call me before you lose your cell phone signal and I'll hopefully be able to tell you where they are or at least where they are headed," the deputy stated. She slid a carefully folded map towards the senior agent. "Do you need a police escort?"

"They probably couldn't keep up," Rossi stated with a slight curve to his lips. He could feel Morgan, Emily, J.J. and Garcia all trembled with excess energy. None of them wanted to spend any more time here than absolutely necessary.

"I have a better idea," Garcia stated. Pulling her laptop out of her shoulder bag, she quickly set it up on the front desk. "Give me access to your GPS system and I'll read it directly from there. It'll save us some time."

Looking a little startled, and unsure, the deputy took a few seconds to consider her options. Begrudgingly, she began rattling off the information Penelope needed. The computer expert was right, that would save time. That way they could change course as needed instead of finding out about it after getting to the farmer's house.

"Thank you," Garcia said as she saved the information she needed, powered down the computer and snapped it shut. "You were very helpful."

Nodding his head at the deputy, Rossi followed his colleagues out the door and headed for their rental SUV parked at the front door. They were getting closer. He hoped.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you yet again for all the wonderful reviews! I just love it._

_Again a shorter chapter but it seemed like the right place to stop. You'll understand when you get there! I hope you enjoy the new chapter._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The first response Rachel had was to pull her hand away from Mary. But she fought it. If she let go of the gun, Mary would shoot her and possibly even the agents. Hotch couldn't afford to lose any more blood. Frantically, Rachel tried to come up with a possible solution while it felt like her hand was on fire. Mary wasn't about to let go any time soon.

Only one possibility came to mind. Bringing her head down as fast as she could, she tried to head-butt Mary. Unfortunately, she'd never done it before. It was harder than it would appear. While she did manage to dislodge Mary, she also knocked herself senseless for a full minute.

The two women fell to the ground, their heads resounding like gongs. Rachel still had a death grip on the gun. She knew her life depended on it. Her eyes closed, Rachel breathed heavily while she tried to recover. How the hell did guys do that?

While the two women tried to recover, Hotch managed to slide forward, ignoring the screaming complaints from his battered body. He too caught hold of the gun as well and wrenched it away from the women. If either one had been even half aware of what was going on around them he wouldn't have been able to do it.

Scooting backward on his butt, Hotch put as much distance between him and the jumble of limbs as he could. Holding the gun, his gun, up with both hands, he aimed it at Mary. Within seconds, the gun started to tremble. He just didn't have the strength.

"Step back, Mary," Aaron ordered. He tried to put as much strength into his voice as he could manage. The sound of it brought the evil woman around. Gasping, she jerked away from Rachel, who hadn't quite recovered. Climbing to her feet, Mary turned to face the federal agent. A smirk spread across her face as she watched the barrel of the gun start to shake a little bit harder.

"You're not really going to shoot me, are you?" Mary stated. To prove her point, she took a step toward the shaking FBI agent.

"He might not, but I would," Rachel growled as she slipped up beside Hotch and extracted the gun from his fingers carefully. "Give me the key for the shackles."

"Go to hell," Mary hissed. She took another step forward. Without any hesitation, Rachel stood up, brought the gun up to point at Mary's chest and waited. If Mary pushed her, she would pull the trigger. It would save the two agents and Matt and Jared the shame of going to trial. Thanks to her plea bargain, no one knew exactly what had gone on down in the tunnels except for the medical teams and the people that had been there. She would have liked to keep it that way.

"Okay, okay. I just have to go to the back of the basement and get it," Mary said, allowing the smirk to slide off her face. She didn't believe the younger woman had the guts to shoot her, despite everything she'd done to her.

"I'm going to be watching everything you do. One false move and I'll shoot," Rachel said. She glanced down at Hotch. The agent was lying beside her right foot, he'd used up every ounce of strength he'd had. Randomly, Rachel thought about just shooting the chain off of her foot, only as a last resort. Impatiently, she waited while Mary searched Doug's pants pockets. He'd been the last one to have the key.

Secretly, Mary was hoping her big brother would wake up and beat the crap out of the bitch. Mind you, he hadn't quite managed it so far. Finally, she felt the familiar shape in her fingers. Pulling it out of Doug's pocket, Mary held it up so Rachel could see it. She tried to keep her body between the woman and what her other hand was doing. When she'd knelt down to search her brother, Mary had seen a tin of food that was lying on the ground. Picking it as she stood, Mary quickly flung it in the direction of Rachel's head.

"You throw as well as I do," Rachel stated as she easily side-stepped the tin. "That's your last chance. Another strike and I shoot you."

OOOOO

As quickly as possible, Rachel had Dr. Reid and Hotch released. Finishing with herself, Rachel relished shackling Mary to the wall as well as her brother. She used her own shackles to lock them together. Stepping back, she admired her handiwork.

"You're not going to leave us here, are you?" Mary stated. She didn't want to be left alone with her brother. He was still unconscious but he was going to be royally pissed when he came to.

"That's exactly what you deserve," Rachel growled. "Now shut up."

Turning her back on the West's, Mary turned her attention to the federal agents. She'd all ready raided the back of the basement of everything she thought they might leave. The metal bed frame was now covered with layers of blankets. She'd put both agents on top of the blankets and then covered them with more. This was after she located clothes for both of them.

Moving both of them had been difficult. Reid's hip was beyond sore and his thigh wasn't much better. The only good thing about Doug's ministrations had been that they hadn't really hurt him. Not yet anyway. Rachel had felt awful as she helped Reid pull the clean underwear from Doug's bag up over his legs and hips and then a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. From the way the younger man's body almost instantly relaxed, she knew it was the best thing she could have done for him. Clothes had undoubtedly never felt so good.

Finished with Reid, she'd turned to Hotch. She wasn't about to take his boxers off. She'd seen enough of the man the last time this had happened. Now she just wanted to make sure he was comfortable. Before she'd pulled similar clothes over his trembling limbs, Rachel took the time to clean the wound on his side and reapply a clean dressing. Keeping it in place was a dilemma. Tying it around Hotch's midsection was out of the question because of all the cuts from his earlier beating. Taping it in place was the best alternative. She'd been extra careful of where she put the adhesive strips. Pulling them off of a wound would have been horrific for the senior agent.

While she worked, Rachel could feel Hotch flinching and trembling. He was trying very hard to keep his discomfort to himself. It was bad enough that Rachel had had to take the gun from him. He didn't want to admit any further weakness. Being as gentle as she could, Rachel tried to not notice. Let the man maintain what dignity he could find.

"We need to get out of here and find help," Reid stated. He was lying on his side, facing Hotch who was resting on his back. It seemed to aggravate his multiple wounds the least. Rachel had found Tylenol and fed some to both of them. While they weren't as strong as what either man had hoped for, they were starting to take effect.

"Hopefully help is on the way," Rachel stated. She helped Hotch drink some Gatorade. That too she'd found at the back of the basement. Once the senior agent was finished, she handed the rest of the bottle over to Reid.

"What are you talking about?" Hotch asked as he forced his eyes open. They were nearly perfect. At least something in his body was nearly healed. Now there were just the other four or five things. Now that he could stare at the two West's secured to the wall, some of the other aches and pains were not quite as bad.

"When I was upstairs the last time, Deputy Cullen managed to escape. Hopefully by now he's found help and is on the way back here," Rachel stated. She'd moved the bed as far away from the wall as she could. She wasn't taking any chances that Mary or Doug could reach them.

"I'm not sure I want to be rescued," Reid muttered to himself. He was staring at Hotch. His superior and father figure looked awful. He imagined he did too. He wasn't sure he wanted to spend endless hours with Dr. Heinz, analyzing the terrors of the last hours over and over again.

"It beats heading off to prison," Rachel stated. She still had the gun. It was tucked into the waist band of her prison pants. She'd dragged a padded chair over beside the bed. She didn't know if she could get off the ground again if she had to. Sinking onto it, she began to wrap her hand. Mary had taken a chunk out of it. Rachel still intended on going to jail. She figured it was where she deserved to go.

"With any luck we will wind up in the same prison, Rach. Then we can spend all kinds of time together," Mary stated. She figured she might as well say whatever came to mind. At this point it didn't really matter. "I know I really miss how close we used to be."

"No judge would place the two of you in the same prison. Even if a mistake was made and that happened, the warden would transfer one of you out. They don't need to look for trouble, there's enough of it present all ready," Reid stated. He'd said it because he'd seen how Rachel's face had paled slightly at the comment. Clearly she didn't want that to happen.

"Prisons are crowded. There isn't always a lot of choice," Mary added.

"What part of shut up do you not understand?" Rachel asked. Momentarily she considered gagging the woman. While it would be incredibly satisfying, it wasn't something she would allow herself to do.

"I'm hungry. When's breakfast?" Mary asked. She wasn't particularly hungry. She just wanted Rachel to wait on her. She'd seen how badly the younger woman's legs were shaking by the time she'd collapsed onto the chair.

OOOOO

"Are we lost?" Sheriff Hicks asked gently. During the last twenty minutes, he'd seen his deputy struggling to remember. He'd been right. The world looked different in the dark.

"Maybe," Jack finally admitted. Disgusted with himself, he hung his head and stared at the map. It had helped at first. Now, though, it just seemed to mock him.

The radio crackled. Before they'd all set out, Hicks had handed Jared a walkie-talkie. After all, their cell phones didn't work in this area.

"Hey, Sheriff. What's the delay?" Dave's voice demanded. The Sheriff's cruiser had pulled up onto the shoulder of the road. He wanted to get to Mary's location ASAP. He wanted to be the one to put a bullet between her eyes.

"Deputy Cullen is tired. He's having a little difficulty remembering," Hicks said. He glanced at his younger friend. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should have brought Roy and Johnny with him. Cullen's face still had traces of blood on it. Clearly he'd been struck at least once.

"I know where we found him. It's about two miles from here. That might job his memory," Jared said. He'd grabbed the walkie-talkie away from his brother. Dave would have had a slight idea of where they'd picked up the deputy but Jared had been the one working with the map.

"Lead the way," Sheriff Hicks stated. It would give Cullen a few minutes to relax. All ready his eyes kept slamming shut while he was slumped in the passenger side of the car.

Amid a shower of flying gravel, Dave's car pulled out and sped by the police cruisers. He loved it. It was one time he didn't have to worry about getting a speeding ticket.

"Slow down, Dave. We need to get there in one piece," Jared groused.

OOOOO

"I think they've stopped," Garcia called from the back seat. "Please let them have found Reid and Hotch." The last had been said very quietly, almost like a prayer.

"How far away are they?" Rossi asked. Morgan was still driving like a controlled madman. The senior agent was wishing they'd thought to ask for a portable light unit. If they were going to drive this fast, they should have the flashing lights to warn the other driver's sharing the road with them.

"About eighty miles. Keep following this highway, I'll warn you before the turn off," Garcia answered. Her eyes were plastered on her computer screen. Just as she thought that the Sheriff had found them, the GPS blip started moving again. "Damn it."

"What?" Emily asked, concerned.

"They're moving again. They haven't found them yet."


	15. Chapter 15

_Howdy!! Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews. I keep thinking I should reply to each of them but I have the sneaky suspicion you'd rather I spent my time writing this story. At least I hope so!_

_Don't worry, we're not quite done here. I find I'm not quite ready to let go of this story. I think I should include a warning on this chapter! There's more sexual abuse. I tried to not get too graphic. Hopefully it doesn't upset anyone. I know Kim would really like Doug to rape Reid and Hotch. I tried to add that in my story and I just couldn't do it. It was one thing to say that Mary had raped Reid with a sex toy, it was quite another to allow another man to actually do it. This chapter is my compromise. I hope you enjoy it! (Somehow that doesn't seem like quite the right word.)_

_Thank you very much to everyone reading this and especially to everyone who takes the time to review. It makes me VERY happy!!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Upon Mary mentioning food, Rachel realized just how truly famished she was. Chances were pretty good the two men were as well. She took the time to finish cleaning all of their wrists and ankles. The shackles had made a real mess of them, especially Hotch's. He'd spent most of his time straining against them.

Rachel knew that feeding the agents was taking a risk. If they were rescued immediately the fact that they had eaten would mean that they would be at risk of aspirating when they went into surgery. The chances of throwing up stomach contents and breathing them into the lungs was greatly increased when a person ate before going under anaesthetic. But, if they weren't found in the next hour, then the two men needed to eat.

Growling under her breath, Rachel pulled her protesting body off of the stool and crept back into the corner of the basement. While she wasn't a great cook, Rachel was perfectly capable of heating up soup. At this point she figured it was better to start off with something light. What time of day it was didn't really matter.

Hotch could hear Rachel clattering around in the 'kitchen area'. He was deeply grateful that it appeared she was trying to make some food. He was starving. He wasn't really thirsty any more thanks to the Gatorade. Now that he was a little more comfortable, sleep kept threatening. He wanted to stay awake in case Spencer needed him. The young genius was resting beside him on top of his sore hip. That didn't make a lot of sense to him but he guessed it was better than lying on his wounded thigh.

"How are you?" Aaron asked. He hoped that by talking he'd stay awake longer. He glanced over at Mary and Doug every once in a while just to make sure that they were still there, still secure. He was still having trouble believing that it was nearly over. That they'd all survived again.

"I'm fine," Reid stated. It was mostly true. Now that he knew Doug couldn't rape him everything else seemed insignificant by comparison. He could still feel the man pressing up against his back, his erection straining against his pants. A shiver ran through Reid's soul. At least he'd been spared that. "How are you?"

"Tired," Hotch admitted. He didn't know if it was relief, the fact that they hadn't had any sleep for a few days or his body's response to his various injuries. At this point he wasn't entirely sure he cared. He looked at Reid's young face. There was something in his eyes, something vastly older than the last time he'd looked into Reid's too big, brown orbs. "Why did you say you didn't want to be rescued?"

"I didn't mean it. I was just thinking about all the hours we're going to have to spend with Dr. Heinz over this one. It just slipped out," Reid said, embarrassment coloring his thin cheeks. He'd hoped Hotch hadn't heard that.

"Time with Dr. Heinz beats the alternative," Hotch stated. He had to admit he'd had similar thoughts. The man really was insufferable.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Reid stated. Then he added, trying to change the subject. "It's okay. You can sleep now," He glanced over at Rachel at the back of the room. "I think we both can."

For the first time in their relationship, Reid watched over Hotch as the older man closed his eyes and gave into the velvety darkness. Once Hotch was asleep, the pain lines and worry lines of the last few days slowly eased off his handsome face. Reid began to remember all the times he'd had to depend on Hotch to save his life. There might have been a few times Hotch had depended on Reid but at the moment he couldn't remember any.

OOOOO

For the first half hour or so, Hotch slept a deep, dreamless sleep. It was just what he needed to help him recover from the things that had been done to him and the things he'd been forced to watch and listen to. Mary had planned well when she'd chained Hotch the wall and Reid to the bed. By doing so, she'd made the older man feel as if he were back in the tunnels. He didn't want to be responsible for Reid being injured again so he'd been awake for everything he could be.

It would be the sounds that would haunt Hotch for many weeks to come, the sound of Reid pleading with Doug to not rape him. Hotch had only been vaguely aware of what was going on around him but the sounds had still penetrated his consciousness. Imagines of what might have happened began to percolate through Hotch's mind.

_Reid was trapped on his left side, the chains on his right leg and arm trying to pull them out of their sockets. The pain was intense causing Reid to whimper quietly. Slowly Hotch became aware of why his surrogate son was in such a strange position. Doug was pressed up against his back. _

_The man was naked, as was Reid. Hotch had realized this for the first time. A chill passed through his body. Desperately, he tried to move toward Reid, to pull Doug off of him, only to find that he too was shackled once more. He was against the wall, his arms and ankles firmly in place. _

_For the first time, Hotch's vision was perfect. He could see the sweat building up on Reid's back as he tried to contain his panic and still struggle against the shackles. Doug pressed a little harder against Reid. His erect member was at the entrance of his rectum. Just a little push and he could begin doing what he'd wanted to do earlier. _

_Breathing heavily, Doug forced himself into Reid's body. A high pitched, keening type wail erupted from Reid's lips and his struggles intensified. It felt like the man was trying to rip him in half as pain erupted through his body. The wail turned to whimpering and became louder as Doug rocked himself back and forth, in and out. He grunted as he moved, relishing in the young genius's body._

_Hotch wanted to pull his eyes away so he didn't have to watch as Reid was raped brutally. But he couldn't. He had to be there for Reid, even if it was only as a witness for the prosecution. Rape cases were too hard to try. It was always he said, she said. Well, Hotch planned to make sure the man paid for what he was doing. If he'd had a gun, he would have shot Doug dead on the spot._

_A scream was ripped from Reid's throat as the man climaxed. Trembling, weak and covered in sweat and other body fluids, Reid collapsed onto the bed. Tossing a blanket over the lanky young man's naked boy, Doug stood up and turned toward Hotch._

"_You like that? Let's see if you're just as good," Doug stated. Smiling happily, he advanced on Hotch. The Unit Chief suddenly realized he was naked as well. He could have sworn he'd been dressed just a moment before._

"_Go to hell," Hotch replied. It was the only thing that would come out. Still grinning, Doug moved around Hotch's side, to get behind him. Hotch tried to back up against the wall but he was all ready too late. Doug was there, running his hands over Hotch's naked skin._

_Squirming, Hotch tried to dislodge the offending hands. He was unsuccessful. Grasping Hotch's hips, Doug forced him to practically double over so he could reach what he wanted. He wasn't planning on doing Hotch quickly, as he'd done Reid. This time he wanted to enjoy it, to savour every minute of it._

_It was agony for Hotch. He'd always prided himself for his ability to control his emotions under all circumstances. All his training, all his time spent learning distancing exercises was suddenly useless as he felt Doug enter him. This was nothing like being stabbed. This was far more personal, far more devastating. A scream erupted from Hotch as Doug became more aggressive and brutal in his attentions. Just as the man began to climax and the pain seemed to encompass every inch of Hotch's body, he woke up._

Startling awake, Hotch sat up quickly and frantically looked around. It had all been so real. He couldn't believe that it hadn't actually happened. He could even feel the pain from where Doug entered him. Sweat had broken out all over his body, plastering his clothes against his skin and his dark, close-cropped hair to his skull. His breathing was uneven, hitching in his chest.

"Pleasant dreams?" Mary asked from the wall. She'd been watching the agent sleep and knew when things had gone south. She'd enjoyed every minute of watching the man squirm under the blankets. Clearly, he'd been thinking of her or Doug. Happily, Mary knew that Hotch and Reid would be remembering her in their dreams for a very long time to come. That suited her just fine.

"You are not allowed to speak," Rachel shouted from the corner. She'd just been dishing out the soup when Hotch had jumped up. She'd nearly spilt half the pot his actions had startled her so. Quickly, she moved over to the dark haired man. He was shaking like a leaf. He ran a trembling hand over his face a few times, as if to wipe away the memories.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked as she reached him. She'd noticed both men fall asleep. She thought it would do them both good. Evidently she'd been wrong. Reaching for the basin of clean water beside the bed, she rang out a wet rag and began wiping at the sweat on Hotch's handsome face. He was still sitting up almost as if he was afraid he'd fall back asleep if he laid down again.

"I'm fine," Hotch croaked. He knew it was a lie but he wasn't ready to try to deal with this with Mary and now Doug watching. The brother was watching him with death in his eyes. If he got out, Hotch had no doubt he would spend a great deal of time hurting all three of them. Apparently when he awoke in chains, all of his fears and inhibitions had evaporated.

"Yeah, and I'm a unicorn," Rachel said. At least Hotch was letting her wash his face, neck and shoulders. If he'd completely lost it, he wouldn't have wanted her to touch him at all. "Are you up for some soup?"

"Yeah," Hotch said. At this point he was willing to do anything to try to help the memories of the dream to disappear. He had the feeling, though, that this was the first of many dreams to come.

"I'm sorry," Reid apologized as he propped himself up on his left elbow. "I tried to stay awake and watch you while you slept."

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Hotch responded. Reid's words brought a slight smile to his face. Trust Reid to want to watch over him. When he looked at the boyishly handsome genius, the images of Doug raping him kept trying to force their way to the front of Hotch's mind. Forcing them down, he chose to remember other times with Reid. Much happier times like when they'd tried to teach him how to use chop sticks.

Rachel handed both men a bowl of soup and several crackers. "There's more if you want it but see how this sits first," she instructed. Then she headed back to the stool. Her legs had started shaking again. It was really beginning to wear thin.

OOOOO

Following Dave, the squad cars found the section of road quickly. Stopping on it, they began scanning the area for any buildings. In the dark, there didn't appear to be any. There was no moon tonight and even the stars were hidden behind an overcast sky. They weren't getting any help with this at all. It was pitch black beyond the headlights.

"Do we wait until dawn?" one of the other deputies asked. They'd gathered around Sheriff Hicks' squad car. The senior officer was still in the passenger seat. Looking over the headrest, he looked at Deputy Cullen. The man was looking around but clearly nothing was making an impression.

"I don't think we can. We're going to have to split up and search using our squads, search lights and head lights. If anyone finds a structure of any kind, I want you on the radio calling for back up," Hicks ordered. He didn't want any of his men playing at being heroes. The last thing Mary needed was more hostages. He didn't know for sure that Mary had caused all of this but there were too many coincidences for it to be otherwise.

"Keep going until you find something or until I call you back," Hicks said. Then he moved up to talk to the bounty hunters. He was hoping to use them in a more effectual way.


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you!!! I'm loving all the reviews! Please keep it up. It sure makes updating easier!_

_Anyway, there's another sexual abuse warning in this chapter. If it's not your cup of tea, just avoid the italics. What can I say? All things are possible in dreams! Still not a lot of action but it is going somewhere, I promise!_

_Thanks again!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dean and Jared were speeding down the roads. The sheriff had suggested that they break away from the pack and search on their own. The brothers seemed to be especially adept at finding trouble. Hicks was hoping they'd stumble upon the house while the rest of them waited for the sun to rise. There was no use searching in the dark. They'd learned that all ready. Even sending squads in every available direction had accomplished nothing.

Gently, Hicks wrapped an emergency blanket around Cullen. The younger deputy had finally fallen asleep. The sheriff knew he was feeling incredibly guilty for not being able to lead them right to the house. From the look of Jack's head, he'd taken a blow or two so his slightly addled state was not surprising.

Hicks had called an end to the search and had his men all converge in the same location. It would help once the sun came up if they all started from the same spot and fanned out from there. It had been the first break any of his men had had since discovering the accident. Some of the other men were taking a nap while they could. As much as they wanted to find the feds, they had to admit defeat and give in to their own bodies needs.

"Get some sleep Anderson. A few of us will stay awake, just in case, but at this point we're better off getting a little shut eye," Hicks ordered one of his deputies that was nervously pacing up and down the road.

OOOOO

"They've stopped moving," Garcia called out from the back seat. They only had a few moments of service so she was very excited to have located them. "They're about half an hour due north of us."

"We're on a gravel road, Morgan. You might want to gear down out of light speed," Rossi suggested. The one good thing about the gravel road was that it was deserted. The bad thing about that was if they crashed because Morgan didn't allow himself enough time to see a deer, for example, there wouldn't be any help coming.

"I'm fine," Morgan growled. It was taking too long to reach where the sheriff and his men were. Hopefully they had Reid and Hotch. If they didn't, there could still be hours of searching ahead of them. Visions of Reid and Hotch after their last encounter with Mary kept playing through Morgan's mind. The woman was pure evil. If he was given half a chance, he'd put her out of her misery and same the American taxpayer a great deal of money in court and prison fees.

"You need to slow down, Derek. This isn't the highway. There could be any form of animal on these roads. We won't be able to help if we're in a crash," Rossi pressed. Somehow, J.J. and Emily had managed to fall asleep. Unbelievable. Rossi kept seeing his life flash before his eyes.

Grumbling under his breath, Morgan ceded the point and took a little pressure off the gas pedal. But only slightly. His kid brother and his surrogate father were in trouble, again. He wasn't going to step off the throttle until he knew they were okay, or at least safe.

OOOOO

The soup gone, Reid and Hotch had almost immediately become sleepy. Hotch was finding it very hard to find a comfortable position. His cuts were stinging, his side was on fire, his genitals felt like they were twice the size and pulsed with the beat of his heart. Damn he was a mess. Grimacing, Hotch rolled up onto his side. It didn't help with everything but it helped with some things. That was going to have to be good enough.

While the clothes Rachel had found for him felt incredibly good. They also tended to abrade Hotch's cuts on his torso as well as put pressure on his crotch. He had to concentrate on his breathing as the waves of discomfort passed along his nerve endings. It still beat being naked. Not that Hotch had been naked this time. He'd kept his boxers on. Still, it felt like forever since he'd worn a suit. He never quite felt safe unless he was wearing a suit.

Sighing, Hotch tried to ignore the various aches and pains and get some sleep. He could tell from Rachel's eyes that she too was very tired but so far she'd stayed awake. He assumed it was to watch over the two of them while they slept. While it comforted the Unit Chief on one level, it also set his nerves on edge to know that someone was awake while he tried to sleep.

Behind him, Hotch could feel Reid shifting around, also trying to find a position that aggravated his injuries the least. He was very relieved to know that he wouldn't have to watch helplessly while Doug raped Reid. He'd seen the signs. He knew that was where the man was building up to. If Rachel hadn't stopped him in time, Reid would have had a much worse trauma to have to recover from. Maybe Dr. Heinz wasn't so bad after all.

The thought of sleep kept pulling Hotch's eye lids closed. His body craved it with an intensity he'd never felt before. He was exhausted beyond imagining. But memories of his dream, of the feeling of being penetrated and of watching Reid suffer a similar fate would not go away. That was something he had no desire to feel or see again. Every time his eyes closed and sleep began to enfold him, Hotch would jerk awake. The motion sent a whole new pain flashing through his side. Gasping quietly, the Unit Chief waited for it to pass and the whole process would repeat.

Feeling a little odd, Reid debated with himself about the best course of action. He was lying on his achy hip, watching Hotch as he fought sleep. After seeing his reaction from the nightmare, Reid didn't blame him. But, he also knew the exhausted, beat up man needed sleep, they both did. Unconsciously, the two men were facing Mary and Doug, as if they could watch them while they slept. Neither one of them wanted to take the chance of the Wests' somehow engineering an escape.

Finally, giving in to his gut feeling, Reid carefully shifted forward. He knew Hotch's back was basically hamburger at this point and so chose to not press against him. Instead, Reid moved as close to Hotch's turned back as he dared. He hoped his presence would help Hotch relax.

As Reid's body heat began to penetrate Hotch's back, he did begin to give in to the urge to sleep. Then he glanced up at Rachel, still perched on her stool, her eyes wide open. She looked at the agent and instinctively knew what was troubling him.

"I promise. I'll wake you if I even suspect you're having a nightmare," she said.

"What's the matter, Mr. FBI man? Scared of a little bad dream?" Mary purred from her shackles. Doug hadn't said a word since waking up. She could see by his intense dark eyes that he was majorly pissed but she wasn't sure who with. Desperately, she just hoped it wasn't her.

"What did I tell you about speaking?" Rachel growled. "Keep it up and I won't give you any water at all."

"I'm just trying to help," Mary responded, an evil grin on her lips. She loved to see Hotch squirm. She'd enjoyed the nightmare and its after effects greatly. Personally, she was hoping he'd have one every time he closed his eyes, for the rest of his life.

"That's it," Rachel swore. Standing up, ignoring the pain in her hips and from the bruises all over her body, she marched over to Mary and thrust a rag into her mouth. Then she used a length of bandage to tie it in place. "I don't know about Agent Hotchner, but I feel a whole lot better."

"Hotch," Aaron breathed. Sleep was trying to overtake him again. Somehow Mary's mouth being covered made it seem a little safer to give in.

"Pardon me?" Rachel asked. Keeping well out of Mary's reach, Rachel knelt down beside Hotch. The man was so damned handsome. How did someone go through life being that handsome and still wind up being a decent guy? That was one of the mysteries of the universe.

"Please, call me Hotch or Aaron," Hotch said sleepily. Then darkness descended.

A slow smile spread across Rachel's features. She glanced over Hotch's shoulder and found Reid watching her intently. The smile quickly turned to more of a grimace as embarrassment coloured her cheeks and neck a beautiful shade of red.

The woman was a walking conundrum. In one instant she seemed like a shy, innocent little girl, like the one before him. The next instant she was holding a gun on Mary without a single tremor. Reid hadn't decided if he thought she'd been ready to pull the trigger. She was conflicted between the child she'd been before Mary and her brothers got hold of her and the woman she'd become as a result of their attentions.

Still going through the ways the abuse would have changed her psyche, Reid fell asleep.

Rachel desperately wanted a shower, and new clothes and a life that didn't include iron bars in her near future. She might as well be wishing for the moon. Taking a bottle of water with her, Rachel moved over to the steps. They might be much more comfortable than the stool. Sitting put pressure on parts of her anatomy that Rachel had rather not be reminded of. The wooden stair wasn't any softer but she was able to position her body so that as little of it made contact as possible.

Idly taking sips of water, Rachel watched over her domain. Well, not really her domain. If she'd had any choice in the matter, there would have been a lot less metal and dirt and a lot more well-stuffed mattresses and clean sheets. Not to mention running water. Unfortunately, this had all been a world according to Mary. Sighing, the younger woman prepared to wait. Help should be arriving soon, right?

OOOOO

"What the hell are you all doing here?" Morgan demanded as he bounded out of the rental SUV almost before it stopped. He couldn't believe it when they pulled up to the last GPS location to find all of the sheriff's squad cars lined up on the side of the road.

"Sunrise is in forty minutes. If we'd continued searching in the complete darkness we might have missed something. Which do you think is worse? Thinking we've covered an area and missing them or knowing we haven't and finding them?" Hicks stated. He was tired and slightly cranky. But he knew the agent's anger had more to do with feeling helpless than with actual anger at his actions.

"What do you have so far, Sheriff?" Rossi asked as he and the women piled out of the vehicle. Quickly he looked east. The sun wasn't coming up nearly fast enough.

"Not much. We're at the place where Dave and Jared found Deputy Cullen. Jack has a head injury. It's making retracing his steps a little problematic. The complete darkness didn't help the cause. That's why we stopped," Hicks stated. He glanced at the back of his cruiser and saw that Jack was still sleeping. He supposed he should wake the younger man up to make sure he was okay. He decided to wait the forty minutes until he had to wake the man up. Jack could use all the sleep they could give him.

"Where are Dave and Jared?" Emily asked. She'd pulled a jacket out of the back of the SUV and was pulling it on. The weather had turned a little cooler.

"I sent them out searching. The way Dave drives they'll cover more ground than us. We'll come along behind and search with more of a fine tooth comb. I also told them to make note of every house that had lights on. Jack said there wasn't any electricity in the house they were staying in," Hicks said. He tried to stifle a yawn. It had been a very long day. He was ready for it to end.

OOOOO

The longer Rachel sat on the stair, her back against the wall, the harder it was becoming to stay awake. As much as she wanted to pace, as was her nature, the very thought send shivers of pain through her pelvis. Instead, she continued to sit and watch as Hotch and Reid slept.

_Rough, too large hands ran over Hotch's stomach and down to his genitals. Hotch squirmed, trying to dislodge the offending limb. He couldn't open his eyes. Or he was blind again. It didn't seem to matter at the moment though. Something wet and warm had found his crotch. Someone was trying to stimulate him. Desperately, the Unit Chief hoped they weren't going to be successful. To distract his mind from the sensations burning through him, Hotch began bringing up images from the various scenes he and his people had witnessed. Dead bodies, ritual killings, mangled accident victims quickly ruined the mood for him._

_Frustrated, the person, Hotch was convinced it was Doug, quickly gave up. The alternative proved to be so much worse though. He was being penetrated again. Brutally, with a strength that didn't seem to be human. It felt like he was being ripped in half while the pain shot through all the way up his spine. Gasping, Hotch tried to force the sounds down. He knew his attacker would relish any sign of weakness. Then a scream was ripped from him as it all became so much worse._

Across the room, Rachel heard Hotch's breathing hitch in his chest. He was shifting around. They were all the signs of another nightmare. By the time Rachel had covered the distance, Hotch had begun to thrash. Quickly, Rachel placed her hands on either side of Hotch's face and tried to wake him up.

Behind her, Rachel could hear Mary laughing into her gag. The evil woman was enjoying this far too much. "Agent Hotchner!! It's a nightmare. Wake up, you're safe," Rachel pleaded. The agent was struggling against her, trying to dislodge her hands. Any sense of touch was unwanted and enough to send panic through his body.

Unsure of what else to do, Rachel let go of Hotch's head long enough to unscrew the water bottle on the floor beside her and splashed some of its contents onto the agent's face. "Wake up!" The terror of the agent was becoming infectious. Rachel realized for the first time that she was in way over her head. Feeling useless and terrified, she pulled Hotch into her arms and held on for dear life.

Very slowly, Hotch became aware of the fact that he was being held. By someone who didn't want to hurt him. His face was resting in the crook of someone's neck and hands were gently rubbing small circles on his back. While it caused a little more pain, it was also very soothing. For a moment, Hotch almost allowed himself to be give in to the embrace and just let go.

"Please wake up," Rachel pleaded. It was only then she noticed that Hotch's trembling and thrashing had virtually disappeared. Gently, she pulled him out of her arms and worked to put him back on the bed.

"Thank you," Hotch whispered. He absolutely hated feeling this damned needy. It wasn't in his nature. Apparently Mary had managed to break something in him. Closing his eyes, Hotch tried to gain control of his mind and body again.

"You're welcome," Rachel replied. Forcing her body back into a standing position, she headed into the back of the basement. It was mostly to put some distance between them. She was just as unsettled and embarrassed as he was. Somehow taking the time to get a hold of herself seemed like a good idea.

Laughing soundlessly into the gag, Mary watched the whole scene play out before her. The two of them were truly pathetic. Rachel still wanted what she couldn't have while the agent was so broken now that any sign of kindness was shocking to him. She'd done good Mary decided. Looking down at the handsome agent, Mary waited until his eyes closed again before she slipped her hand into her pants pocket. Still laughing, she fingered the shackle key she'd put there. Things kept getting better and better.


	17. Chapter 17

_Hello!! This chapter is very short. That's intentional. I have to ask you a question. I can go one of two ways with this story. I can have the officers find them before Mary gets away and spend the remainder of this story on the court case that would ensue and Hotch, Reid and the others' reactions to it. OR I can let Mary get away with Hotch or Reid or both. I just wanted to know what your preference would be. I've been trying to decide and haven't been able to._

_I'm also willing to throw out another option here. I could write both, simultaneously. If I did that, I would rate the rest of the story where Mary gets away as Mature and maybe (still waffling on this one too) being more explicit. _

_PLEASE drop me a line and let me know what you think. I'm torn. I can see both story lines and can't choose between them. They both hold so many possibilities! ;)_

_Thank you very, very much to everyone who has taken the time to review. You know I love you!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

At the first sign of light on the horizon, Sheriff Hicks and his men set out. Morgan wanted desperately to head out on their own but Rossi had vetoed that decision. Instead, he had the BAU members spread out among the deputies. He wanted to make sure that if one of them found Reid and Hotch that there would be a clear head among them and that the other agents would recognize them.

Sitting in the back seat of a squad car, Morgan tried to contain his impatience. It wouldn't help matters to yell at the officers. They were doing the best they could. Concentrating on his breathing, to keep from jumping through the patrician at the man driving, Morgan scanned the horizon and listened to the chatter on the radio. They were out of range of their station but were still able to talk to each other. For that Morgan was thankful.

"How can it be so damned hard to find an abandoned house?" Morgan finally demanded.

"The problem is that there are too damned many of them. In this area there are about thirty five of them. The area was very hard hit and a lot of farms went bankrupt or repossessed by the banks. Unfortunately, there weren't many people to take their place," the deputy responded. As quickly as he dared, he piloted the cruiser down the access road of the first house they'd come to. "This is one of five we have to check."

"Let's get going," Morgan said, most of his anger evaporating. They were doing their best. He just hoped it was going to be good enough. Anxiously, he had to wait for one of the deputies to open his door from the outside before he could climb out of the car. Then they spread out, searching the outbuildings first, looking for the SUV Jack said he'd found.

OOOOO

After relaying the information they'd gathered during the night, the brothers pulled into the nearest abandoned farm yard. The weeds were nearly chest high in areas and there were no indication of tire tracks but they wanted to be thorough. Sheriff Hicks had given them five farms to check out, the same as the rest of his men. Pulling up just outside the first outbuilding, Dave shifted his precious car into park and turned off the engine.

"You up for this?" Dave asked his kid brother. He saw the flash of irritation pass over Jared's face. It bugged him when Dave tried to baby him but the older brother just couldn't help it. Jared would always be his kid brother so he would always be trying to protect him. It was just the way of their world.

"I'm fine," Jared growled as he scanned the house to their left. It too had a very unused air about it. Hefting his shot gun, Jared paced toward the first building. Might as well get this over with.

"Yeah, that's what you keep saying. I have to wonder though, what are you going to do when you have that bitch in your sights. Are you going to kill her, Jared?" Dave persisted. The two of them were moving quickly and efficiently through the buildings. This kind of search was something they were used to doing. Usually their bounties weren't too thrilled about going back to jail.

"I still haven't decided what I'm going to do," Jared admitted. The buildings were empty, just as he figured they would be. Once they were finished with the last outbuilding, they made their way to the house. Neither one wanted to leave a stone unturned.

"After what she did to you? I'd be aiming for her head only after shooting her a couple of other spots first. Why not make her suffer?" Dave stated. His brother really was far too forgiving. After watching Jared come back from his injuries, Dave had nothing but hate for Mary. His brother on the other hand, felt sorry for her. He kept saying that what she did was only the result of being abused herself. Dave didn't care.

"I'm not sure I can point this thing at her and pull the trigger," Jared said. "There's nothing here, let's head off to the next one."

OOOOO

Reid was having trouble sleeping. He suspected that was going to become a common theme of his life. Rolling off of his hip, the young genius tried to find a more comfortable position to lie in. His hip was aching with an intensity he hadn't had to deal with since the early stages of his healing. His thigh wasn't in much better shape.

"Rachel?" Spencer called off softly. He didn't want to disturb Hotch but he suddenly had the feeling something was very wrong. Looking around the basement, he saw the woman coming toward him from the back corner. She had the familiar medical kit in one of her hands and a big bottle of water in the other. As she moved toward him, Reid noticed that she too was having some difficulty.

"What's wrong, Agent Reid?" Rachel asked as she stepped toward his side of the bed. Now that he'd mentioned it, she noticed that he had a flush to his face. Cursing under her breath, she zeroed in on the younger man's thigh.

"It's aching worse," Reid stated as Rachel began to carefully unwrap his thigh. It was hot and had begun to swell slightly. It was becoming infected.

"I'm so sorry, I thought I had it pretty clean, I guess I didn't," Rachel said as she began running the cool water over the wound. It was showing some signs of healing but not enough.

"It's not your fault," Reid stated as he watched her work. With everything she had survived at the hands of Mary and Doug, the woman was still mostly concerned with his and Hotch's health. It was part of her childhood abuse but he still found it vaguely comforting.

"I should have done better," Rachel said. "This might hurt a bit but I found a few other things in the back there that should help." Out of the kit she pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It wasn't going to be fun but it would help.

"Do whatever you think is best," Reid said as he lay back down against his pillow. It wasn't really a pillow, just a folded up blanket but it worked. Then he was trying to not scream as Rachel poured the liquid into the wound.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rachel breathed as she worked as quickly as she could. Using a clean bandage, she swabbed at the bubbling peroxide until she was sure the gash was clean. Applying antiseptic ointment, she rewrapped the wound with clean bandages. "That should help."

"Thank you," Reid said through clenched teeth as he rode the pain until it began to subside. "Are you sure Deputy Cullen got away?"

"Yes, Doug didn't even look for him and Mary never came upstairs. I don't know what's taking so long," Rachel tried to reassure him. Pulling more Tylenol out of the kit, she helped the gangly young man to sit up long enough to take a couple of the tablets. "Sleep if you can. When the Calvary does show up it's going to take a lot to move us to a hospital, you're going to need as much strength as you can get."

"You need to sleep as well, Rachel. You've been through a lot too," Reid said as he eyes began to slide shut. The Tylenol hadn't taken effect yet but his leg wasn't aching quite as badly.

"I'm fine. Just sleep," Rachel said. While Hotch was sleeping soundly, she quickly checked his wounds. Just in case they were threatening to become infected as well. After changing the bandages on the Unit Chief's side, she headed back to her step. It was the most comfortable place she'd found so far. Within minutes of sitting, her eyes too were starting to close. Then her chin slowly came to rest on her breast bone as sleep gripped her tightly.

_About damned time_, Mary thought. She'd been waiting for all three of them to fall asleep before she tried to unlock her shackles. As quietly as she could, she fished the key out of her pants pocket and set to work.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Morgan was still fighting the need to throttle someone. They were on their fourth house and still no sign of Reid or Hotch. If he had any hair left on his closely shaven head, he'd be tempted to pull it out by the roots.

Sitting in the back seat of the squad car again, Morgan was lost in his own little world as the deputies drove down yet another access road. Memories were washing over him. Memories of Hotch, kneeling in a street, yelling for help while a fellow agent bled out in front of him. Memories of Reid, being tortured by Henkel in a cold, dank cemetery and ultimately watching the young genius die. The helplessness of not being able to do anything about it resurfaced and his frustration increased.

Morgan swallowed the urge to say 'Are we there yet?' It would not improve the tension in the vehicle. The deputies knew he was frustrated. They were frustrated too. It had been a long couple of days for all of them.

Finally, after following a long winding road, they pulled up between the house and the outbuildings. They checked the out buildings first. The fact that there wasn't an SUV contained within any of the leaning buildings ruined any hope that they might find the agents here. But, for the sake of thoroughness, they headed into the house.

Grumbling under his breath, Morgan searched with the deputies through the dirtiest house they'd entered so far. There was still stuff in the house, things left behind by the last owners. It made searching a little harder and more disgusting. Still, none of the three men were surprised to find no sign that anyone other than themselves had been within the walls for many months.

"Let's head out," the deputy suggested. "There's one more on this list. Hopefully the others are having more luck."

"I hope so," Derek said as he dejectedly headed toward the cruiser.

OOOOO

Rossi was traveling with Sheriff Hicks and his deputy. They too had all ready checked out three of the houses on their list and were on their way to the fourth one. Listening to the crackled conversations on the radio he knew that all the other teams were having similar luck. Even the bounty hunting brothers had finished four of their houses and were onto their fifth and final house.

"I hope your computer tech knows what she's talking about," Sheriff Hicks stated as he watched the flat ground go by. He'd been wondering about the accuracy of the scary blond woman's information. He remembered Garcia from when Hotch and Reid were in the hospital. Unlike the doctor, he'd had no doubt what the woman had been reaching for in her purse. Under other circumstances, he would have confiscated the weapon.

"Penelope is the best there is. If she says this is where the cell phones were headed then this is where they are," Rossi stated. He had been having similar doubts but knew it was more to do with the helplessness that seemed to be hovering over all the searchers.

"I'm hoping you're right. There's no telling what could be happening to them," Hicks said. He knew he didn't need to voice his concerns to the other man. Rossi had been there when they'd found Reid and Hotch and the others. He knew what was going on.

"I have faith in Garcia. We'll find them," Rossi stated with more conviction then he actually felt.

OOOOO

It was only a slight sound. Rachel wasn't even quite sure what it was. Opening her eyes, she scanned the basement. She was very relieved to see that Mary was still attached to the wall, as was Doug. Stretching her back and neck to get the kinks out, Rachel forced her protesting body off of the wooden step.

Under the close scrutiny of the two West siblings, Rachel carefully checked Hotch and Reid to make sure they were still sleeping soundly. She also checked to see if Reid felt any hotter. That was the last thing they needed at the moment.

As much as she hated to admit it, with each passing hour Rachel's belief that they would be rescued was losing strength. They all needed help and they needed it soon. She'd been lucky so far but if either man's condition deteriorated, there wasn't a hell of a lot she could do about it. Glancing at the two men again, satisfying herself that they were still stable, she moved back over to the stairs.

Rachel felt uneasy. There was something going on but she couldn't quite figure out what. She couldn't figure out what had caused the sound that woke her. Scanning the basement and the two belligerent people shackled to the wall, Rachel decided to check out the main floor of the house. Maybe there was someone outside and that was what she'd heard.

Climbing the stairs took a lot out of her. More than she was willing to admit. She wasn't sure what Doug had done to her but he'd definitely left a lasting impression on her body. Finally reaching the top step, Rachel looked at the West siblings one last time and then stepped through the doorway.

As quickly as her stiff and achy body would allow her, Rachel went out the front door, stepped outside and walked around the building. She found nothing around except the outbuildings. The fresh air was wonderful and she was happy to find that the sun had just come up but depression still threatened. They needed to get out of here.

She searched each of the buildings, wanted to know what was in them. She took note of the SUV and began coming up with a plan to get the three of them out of here. She wasn't about to try to transport the siblings in the same vehicle as themselves. They would have to wait for her to send someone back for them. Treading through the too tall weeds, Rachel made her way to the back door step. She didn't want to take the time to go all the way around again.

The cool of the morning permeated Rachel's weakened state. Shivering uncontrollably, she headed back inside. That nervous feeling still hadn't gone away. Something was up. Now that she knew there wasn't anyone outside, she promised herself that she wouldn't leave the men alone again.

As quietly as she could manage to avoid waking Reid and Hotch, Rachel padded back to the doorway. She'd left it open and so simply slipped through it. Three steps down the stairway, she could see the bed that the agents were sleeping on. One more step and she could see the wall where Mary and Doug were supposed to be. Her heart stopped. The wall was empty.

In a heartbeat, Rachel pulled the gun out of the back of her pants and gripped it tightly between her hands. Then she carefully made her way the rest of the way down the stairs. Now that she was closer, she realized that what she'd assumed was Hotch and Reid under the blankets was in fact just more blankets. They'd been stirred up and from the top of the stairs had looked like bodies. Cursing under her breath, Rachel reached the bottom step and turned to her left.

There she saw them. Doug had Hotch in one arm and Reid in the other. He was dragging them up the stairs that led to the locked wooden cellar doors. Rachel had checked them out before but hadn't found the key to undo the lock. It appeared Mary or Doug had had it.

"Stop where you are!" Rachel yelled as she aimed the gun at Doug's back. There was no way in hell she was going to let the man leave with the agents.

"He's not the one you should be worried about," Mary's voice said from behind her. Spinning on her heel, Rachel brought the gun around just as Mary stepped out of the shadows. She had the crowbar Doug had used on the vehicle earlier clutched in both hands.

"Put it down, Mary. I don't want to shoot you," Rachel cautioned. She kept glancing between Mary and Doug. Doug had stopped on the stairs and turned to face her. Clearly he wanted to see how this would all turn out.

"I always knew you didn't have it in you," Mary hissed. She raised the crowbar over her head, intent on bringing it down onto Rachel's arms.

The shot was very loud. It startled both women equally. Mary stopped dead in her tracks as the small puff of smoke disappaited from the barrel of the gun. The crowbar clanged on the ground between them. Rachel had been momentarily deafened by the report. It was as if the world had shifted into slow motion. As she stood like a statue and watched, she realized a dark circle of blood was spreading over the shirt Mary was wearing. Rachel had shot Mary after all.

_A/N: _

_Okay. I got a lot of responses to my questions. Thank you so very much!!! Here's what I've decided to do. At this point I'm going to start writing two endings to this story. I'll leave the more passive, court room drama like version attached to this story. The other, more graphic, mature version of things that happen after this will be published in a separate story. I know that I'm biting a lot off by doing this but hopefully I can pull it off. Like I said, I kept seeing so many possibilities for both endings. _

_For those of you that don't want me to continue playing with Hotch and Reid, stick to this version. It's much easier on them. ;) In the other version I'm not sure how far I'll go but I know the torture isn't over yet._

_Anyway, I hope I get a good response for both versions. Please let me know what you think!!_

_The second version will be called something silly like 'Mary's Revenge Part 2' or something like that. I haven't started the next chapter of either version but I figure that's what I'll do._

_Thanks again for all the input. I think everyone will like what I've come up with. At least I hope so!!_

_Susanne_


	19. Chapter 19

_Well, this is it. This is the start of the experiment. Hopefully I can pull this off. If something seems wrong or out of character, PLEASE let me know!!_

_Thank you to everyone for your support. I appreciate it far more than I can say!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER NINETEEN

In slow motion, Mary crumpled to the ground, a look of shock spreading across her face. Still unable to move, Rachel watched. Emotions were storming through her mind and body. She didn't know what to feel or think about the fact that she'd shot her childhood best friend. Was she dead? Rachel couldn't tell from where she stood.

Suddenly the world sped up again. And Rachel remembered she wasn't alone. Turning quickly, Rachel realized that Doug was trying to flank her, to tackle her and take the gun away.

"Don't even think about it," Rachel hissed. Momentarily she considered telling Doug to move the unconscious Hotch and Reid back to the bed. Then she decided she didn't want the bastard touching them ever again. "Get back over to the shackles. Any more keys I should know about?"

"You shot her. I can't believe you shot Mary!!" Doug growled. Now that Rachel had caught him trying to tackle her, he stood stock still, staring down at his sister. Mary hadn't moved since she'd reached the ground.

"Yeah, and the longer it takes me to secure you the more time she's going to have to bleed out. The choice is yours," Rachel stated. She didn't know where all this bravado was coming from but it felt kind of good. The thought of shooting Doug in the crotch kept playing across her mind. While incredibly satisfying, she was not prepared to deal with the injury and help didn't appear to be very close.

Doug took a few moments to think, and then he headed for the wall. Rachel was right. The more he fought this the more time Mary had to bleed. Rachel motioned with the gun.

"Do up your feet and one of your hands," she wasn't going to take the chance of Doug overpowering her. Her legs were trembling again. It wouldn't take much. "Where is the key?"

"Mary had it in her pocket," Doug said as he quickly shackled his ankles and then his left arm. Rachel moved in and secured his right arm. She paused long enough to check Doug's clothes for a key. She wasn't going to be made a fool of again.

Feeling significantly better, Rachel glanced at the two agents crumpled on the steps where Doug had dropped them. As much as she wanted to check on them, to make sure they were all right, Rachel went instead toward Mary. At the moment, the woman needed her help the most.

Crouching beside Mary's twisted body, Rachel felt the side of her neck. The fear that had been swirling around her stomach and mind solidified. There was no pulse. Rolling Mary over and straightening her out, Rachel quickly looked at the wound. The one she'd caused. Somehow, despite her fear and complete lack of experience using a gun, she'd somehow managed to hit Mary in the heart. It was pure luck. If she'd tried to do it again, she never could. Now shaking even worse, Rachel pushed her aching body up and stumbled over to Hotch and Reid.

"What are you doing? You've got to help her!!" Doug demanded from the wall. He was pulling on the chains, trying to reach his sister.

"She's dead, Doug. There's nothing I can do to help her," Rachel stated, her voice laden. She'd shut down. She didn't know how to feel about her friend's death, much less being the one responsible for it. All she knew was that she had to help the agents. The first one she went to was Hotch.

The dark haired agent was curled up on his side, luckily he'd dropped on his relatively uninjured side. There was blood seeping through his shirt where his gunshot wound had reopened. The bruise on the side of his face had a band new gash across it. It must have been where Doug had hit him. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, Rachel dragged Hotch back toward the bed. It was the best place for him.

By the time Rachel had man-handled Hotch into the bed and covered him up, she was shaking like a leaf and slick with sweat. Gasping for breath, she headed back toward Reid. She'd chosen to move Hotch first because he was heavier. She knew that by the time she was done with him, she was going to be weak.

Reid was sprawled on the step, lying on his front. From this position he looked to be little more than a collection of arms and legs. Sighing, Rachel gently rolled Reid over onto his back. She wasn't surprised to see that his leg had started bleeding. It seemed to be common theme at the moment. There was also blood seeping from a cut across his forehead. Carefully, Rachel pulled Reid up and dragged him over to the bed as well.

Rachel was barely able to get the gangly young man onto the bed without causing him further injury. As soon as she did, she collapsed on the ground beside the bed. Exhaustion overwhelmed her and Rachel's head found the edge of the bed. She wasn't even aware of it as she slipped into oblivion.

OOOOO

It was the fifth and final homestead. Morgan was fighting fear and a debilitating depression that was threatening from the corner of his mind. If Hotch and Reid weren't here he wasn't sure what he'd do. The first thing they noticed as they pulled up was that there were tracks in the tall weeds, indicating that someone had been here recently.

"Let's do this," Morgan stated as he headed for the outbuilding the tracks led to. The two deputies followed his lead. At this point they too were becoming discouraged. Pulling the wooden doors open, Morgan was thrilled to find a black SUV sitting inside. His initial instinct was to call Rossi to let him know they'd found something. Then he remembered, they were still in a dead zone.

"Call this in," Morgan said as he quickly examined the vehicle. It wasn't locked up, for which he was grateful. Lifting open the hatch, Morgan found splotches of what looked like dried blood on the carpet. This was looking better and better.

As he turned toward the cruiser, Morgan saw the brothers' muscle car pull up behind it. Climbing out, Jared headed toward him while Dave stepped toward the front door of the house. He paused at the bottom of the wooden steps. As much as he wanted to go in there, he wasn't stupid enough to go in without back up.

"We didn't find anything. We figured we might as well help with the search of the other homesteads, yours was the closest one," Jared explained. Nodding his head, Morgan strode over to Dave. The three of them headed inside, the two deputies following shortly after finishing their call in to Sheriff Hicks.

The house was filthy. Using flashlights, the three men scanned the floor of the main room. There were some scuff marks in the dirt and dust. As quietly as they could, they searched the other four rooms on this floor. It was in the master bedroom that they found more signs of disturbance. The crawlspaces were obvious from the shifting of the dirt. It was also obvious that something violent had gone down here.

"Let's check out the basement," Jared suggested. The mere thought of going below the ground sent shivers of fear through the youngest brother. Even since being brought out of the tunnels, he'd developed a phobia of basements or other places beneath the ground. He still went into them but never without a very healthy dose of fear.

"I'll take point," Morgan said. He'd seen the door leading to the basement during their initial search. Heading back toward the main room, Morgan stepped up to the open door and peered inside. It smelled of dirt, sweat, lust and cordite. His stomach in his throat, Morgan slipped down the stairs.

There was Hotch and Reid, lying on a metal bed frame covered in blankets. A man, glaring daggers at him, was attached to the far wall. A woman was crumpled on the ground beside the bed his fellow agents were on. Reaching the bottom step, Morgan saw the other woman lying on the ground.

"Oh, my God," Jared breathed as he spied Mary. "That's Mary. Is she dead?"

Morgan's first concern was for his friends but he needed to make sure that the room was secure first. He quickly checked the woman on the ground, now that he was closer he recognized her as Mary. He couldn't find a pulse. Somehow he was disappointed to realize she was dead. Then he moved over to the other crumpled woman.

A small groan escaped from Rachel as Morgan slowly rolled her over. He wasn't quite sure of what was going on here but it appeared that she'd been trying to protect Hotch and Reid. That tracked with her behaviour the last time but still, he didn't want to take a chance. Gently, he placed her hands in handcuffs.

"Let me out of here," Doug demanded from the wall. He'd decided to stay quiet while the men with the guns got the lay of the land. He didn't want to shout at them and have one of them accidently shoot him.

"Who the hell are you?" Dave asked. He was staring at the man, trying to decide where he fit into all of this. Jared was hovering over by Mary. He had the feeling his younger brother was verging on shock. His eyes were too big and kind of glassy and he was just standing there.

"My name is Doug West," Doug admitted. "Mary is my sister." This wasn't going to end well for him. He never should have let his sister talk him into doing any of this. The gears in Doug's head began turning. How was he going to turn this to his benefit?

"Why are you shackled to the wall?" Morgan inquired. Satisfied that the basement was as secure as it was likely to get, he knelt down beside Hotch to do a cursory examination. He was shocked by what he found. From the looks of Reid's face, he wasn't likely to be feeling any better.

"Rachel did it," Doug stated. "Mary did horrible things to these men. I let it happen and maybe let her talk me into doing things I normally wouldn't. Rachel didn't trust me."

"Hotch?" Morgan said. He placed a hand on the side of his superior's face. Hotch's black hair was plastered against his skull, his skin was white, almost translucent in colour. While he watched, Hotch's breathing was uneven and hitched. Morgan had found the wound on Hotch's side, the bruises and contusions, and had a suspicion about why he was hunched over even while being unconscious.

The only response Morgan got was a low moan. At least he knew Hotch was alive. Moving to the other side of the bed, Derek checked over Reid as well. The kid really did seem to have a bull's eye on his forehead. If something bad was going to happen, it usually included their youngest and quite honestly, most vulnerable, member.

"Spence?" Morgan breathed as he ran a hand down the side of the younger man's face. It was as close to holding the men as he could allow himself at the moment. Until he was sure they were all right. Where the hell was that backup?

"Derek?" Reid asked his voice weak and low. The younger man's brown eyes fluttered open and came to rest on Derek's hovering face. Searching the older man's face for signs of revulsion or disgust, Reid was greatly relieved to only find fear and concern in Derek's dark eyes.

"You're safe, Reid. Just take it easy," Morgan said, his hand still on the uninjured side of Reid's face. Now that Reid was awake, he felt the need to maintain a form of physical contact with him. He knew it had to do with making sure Reid was alive and really there, in front of him. It was irrational but he wasn't willing to fight the urge.

"Where's Mary?" Reid asked. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Derek. It was so very good to see him. It almost felt like a dream. For once though, it was a good one.

"She's lying over there. It looks like she's been shot dead," Morgan stated. He looked over at Hotch, deeply concerned for his friend and superior too but there didn't appear to be any change. Dave walked over to Jared and carefully moved him away from the body. Settling him on the wooden step, he went back to Mary and threw a blanket over her.

"Rachel did it," Doug said from the wall. It bothered him that none of the men were moving to let him go. For that matter, they should have had a paramedic or EMT or two down here as well. Suddenly he wished he had a key. Maybe he could slip out without them noticing. "She shot Mary in cold blood."

"That's why there's a metal crowbar within inches of your sister's hands, right?" Dave responded. He felt the need to pound the shit out of the man. He looked too much like Mary and there was just something about him that set Dave's nerves on edge. Ignoring the man, he walked back over to Jared and settled down on the step beside him. Jared was staring at his hands in a disconnected, distant kind of way. It was scaring the hell out of him.

"Where's Rachel?" Reid asked. His eyes kept trying to close but he kept forcing them back open. He could feel Hotch lying behind him. At this point he could have felt his boss's body from a hundred feet away.

"Here," Morgan said, indicating the ground beside him. He glanced at the woman. She too had been through a lot but he still couldn't bring himself to feel sympathy for her. He still considered her to be the catalyst for all of this.

"How is she?" Reid asked. He couldn't move enough to look over the side of the bed. He hurt too much everywhere.

"Sleeping?" Morgan stated. He hadn't really looked at the woman too closely. He was just happy that she was secure. He had the cuffs around her front. No need causing her any more damage.

"Please. Make sure she's okay. She's been through hell too," Reid said. His voice was barely above a whisper at this point. What strength he'd managed to find was gone. His eyes slammed shut.

Grudgingly, Morgan turned his attention to the woman. He could see multiple bruises on her skin and blood in some places on her clothes. It was then he noticed where some of the blood was located. With a sick feeling he knew what had transpired. Yeah, apparently the woman had been through hell.

"I'll take care of her," Jared said. He'd snapped out of his state and needed to do something, anything to keep his mind and hands busy. He glanced up as the two deputies came thumping down the stairs. Behind them came Rossi, Sheriff Hicks and a stumbling Deputy Cullen.

"We need to get them out of here. All three of them need medical attention," Morgan stated. He'd moved back over to Hotch's side of the bed. This all felt like a really bad dream. Surely this couldn't have happened twice?

Rossi knelt down beside Morgan and placed his hand against Hotch's head. He was greatly relieved when he realized his superior was still alive but vastly concerned by what he saw. They needed to move them. Now.


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the wonderful reviews!!! I love it! I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Roy DeSoto, Johnny Gage from Emergency or Tobey Logan or Osmond Baey from The Listener. They, of course, belong to the writers who created them and the actors that play them. I just had to borrow them one more time!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY

Getting help was going to prove to be a chore. Even though Sheriff Hicks did have a rescue team standing by, he had no way at the moment to contact them. Standing back, watching as Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, J.J. and Garcia tended their fallen comrades, waves of helplessness crashed over him. They only had rudimentary tools and supplies but it currently seemed to be enough. Hicks only hoped it stayed that way.

Deputy Cullen, looking nearly overwhelmed, had stumbled into the basement and immediately went to Rachel. The woman was still unconscious or deeply asleep. It was hard to tell which. "What is this?" Jack demanded when he found the handcuffs. Jared was still with her and was trying to clean her despite the cuffs.

"She's an escaped prisoner. I wanted to make sure she was secure," Morgan stated. He and Rossi were working on Hotch. Well, they were trying to make him more comfortable. Hicks had sent his men out in each direction with the instructions to call for help as soon as they got a signal on their cell phones or on their radios. He had absolutely no idea how long this was going to take but he hoped not long.

"Undo them," Jack demanded. He carefully brushed hair out of Rachel's face. The cuts and bruises sent a chill through his body.

"I don't think that's wise," Morgan responded.

"I don't care. She did everything she could to keep us safe. She deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Take the damned things off," Jack growled. He glanced up at the tall bounty hunter crouching on the other side of the woman and found agreement in his blue-green eyes.

Not bothering to wait for an okay from the federal agents, Hicks stepped forward and gave Jack his key. When Doug and Mary had taken him, they'd stripped the officer of his tool belt. Accepting the key, Cullen released the cuffs and threw them in Morgan's direction. He hadn't done it with any malicious intent. He just wanted to make sure the fed got them back.

"How is she?" Jack asked. It kind of surprised him that Jared would be so willing to be this close to her. He'd hoped Mary's victims hadn't blamed Rachel for it. This was a good sign.

"I'm not sure. I can't tell if she's sleeping or unconscious. She's pretty beat up. Did anything else happen?" Jared asked. He hadn't tried to take any of the woman's clothes off to clean her better. The mere thought of doing it felt too much like he was violating her.

"Yeah, Doug raped her," Jack stated. He hadn't said anything before. He had a tremendous amount of guilt that he hadn't been able to prevent the act. Besides, he hadn't wanted to broadcast it in a room of men. So much for that.

"She wanted it!" Doug called from the wall. No one had bothered to try to unshackle him. He knew intuitively that this was a bad sign. Clearly they were putting him in the same category as his sister. He had to figure out a way to keep from winding up in jail for a long time. "She told me to do it."

"Do yourself a favour," Morgan growled. "Shut up!"

"Morgan?" The voice was weak, much weaker than Derek could ever remember hearing it. Turning from Doug, Morgan found Hotch's dark brown eyes looking blurrily up at him. A few rapid blinks and they seemed to be focusing better. Beside him, Rossi moved in closer, trying to look at their boss's face. Relief flowed through both men.

"Yeah, Hotch. I'm here. So's Rossi, Emily, J.J. and Garcia," Morgan said. Hotch was still curled up on his side. It seemed to be the most comfortable position for him but it meant the heavily bruised and bleeding side of his face was against the pillow. Blinking again, Hotch's eyes flickered toward Rossi's hovering face.

"Reid?" Hotch asked. He was finding it very hard to talk. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because of dehydration or if Doug had managed to do something to his jaw. The last thing he could remember before walking up to Derek's voice was realizing that Doug and Mary were free. Then Doug was in front of him and everything went black.

"He's on the other side of the bed. He's in rough shape but then, so are you," Rossi stated. He gently placed a hand on Hotch's blanket covered shoulder. Just like Derek, he was feeling the need to make physical contact with Hotch, to reassure himself that Hotch was really there and alive.

"Mary?" Hotch asked. He was intensely relieved to see his coworkers and friends. Even more so since he and Reid had managed to get through this without being raped. He wasn't sure how he'd deal with that.

"Dead," Derek stated simply. A deputy came down the stairs and spoke quietly with Sheriff Hicks. Relief flashed over the man's face.

"Deputy Thomas has reached help. They'll be here within twenty minutes with helicopters to airlift the injured," Hicks reported.

A sigh of relief seemed to permeate the room.

"Hear that, Hotch? Medical is on their way in. You and Reid are going to be fine," Derek said. Hotch was so still, so quiet. It was really starting to creep Morgan out.

"Rachel?" Hotch asked. He was having trouble staying awake, in the here and now. Images of what could have happened kept trying to push into the front of his thoughts.

"She's alive," Derek stated. The concern his two colleagues were demonstrating for the woman was disturbing. He recognized that Rachel had been a victim in all of this too but it still didn't sit right.

"Keep them safe," Hotch managed as sleep or unconsciousness came crashing down again. Hotch's body went slack. It was very unnerving to watch.

"Man," Morgan breathed as he looked down at his boss. "This is really screwed up."

"I know," Rossi agreed. He glanced over at Emily and J.J. as they tended Reid. Garcia had retreated into a corner. He wasn't sure if she was overwhelmed by what she was seeing or if she just wanted to keep a better watch on everyone in the room. Rossi wouldn't have been surprised if she still had the hand gun clutched in her bag. "But we're all going to get through it."

OOOOO

The helicopters landed at the back of the house. As soon as they touched down, two teams of paramedics emerged, each gripping a metal Stokes stretcher. The pilots climbed out and grabbed a third one before following them into the scary looking house.

Making their way downstairs, Roy, Johnny, Toby and Os immediately split up to assess the injured. It was an all too familiar scene for the four men. The only difference was the location and the fact that there were three and not four that had been brutalized.

Kneeling down beside Reid, Roy pulled the mass of blankets back and did a thorough examination. The kid was far too damned thin but Roy remembered from before that he never did carry any extra weight around. "Hello, Dr. Reid. I honestly can say that I'm sorry to see you again," Roy stated as he pulled various items out of the bag that had been inside the Stokes.

Reid looked at the blond man kind of strangely. "I'm not sure I know you," Spencer stated, the words coming out with difficulty. Reid had a photographic memory. He remembered every person he met. The fact that he couldn't remember the paramedic was unnerving.

"That's okay," Roy said, a smile gracing his face. "I have one of those kinds of faces, especially since most people are having their worst day ever when they meet me. It's all right, Dr. Reid. Just relax, let me take care of you."

The words seemed like they should be comforting. But he didn't find them reassuring. At this particular point of his life, he didn't feel like handing off control to anyone. Reid tried to not flinch as the man gently lifted his shirt to check his torso for damage. The urge to pull his shirt back down nearly overwhelmed him. Glancing over at Hotch's side of the bed, Reid found Morgan watching him. Somehow that didn't help either.

"Relax, Dr. Reid. I'm just going to do a cursory exam here. We need to get you to a hospital as soon as we can," Roy said as he moved down to the pants upon pulling the shirt down. Instinctively, Reid caught hold of the waistband and kept them up. He couldn't stand for Morgan to see the damage done to him, not down there.

Johnny moved to Hotch's side. As gently as he could, he moved the two agents out of the way. He was immediately concerned by the apparent head injury. Gently depressing the bones, he was relieved to find that they didn't seem to creak, indicating that they weren't broken. The Unit Chief moaned quietly under his ministrations. Johnny didn't blame him. It probably did hurt like hell but he needed to do it, just to make sure he knew the man's injuries.

Pulling the blankets back, Johnny zeroed in on the blood stain on the side of Hotch's shirt. Using the scissors on his tool belt, Johnny cut the shirt material away from his torso. Then he cut the blood stained bandages off as well. Someone had done what they could for the man but he needed a blood transfusion and surgery. The wound resembled a bullet track. That meant it was not very jagged. Agent Hotchner would appreciate that when it came time to sew it up.

Johnny was grateful that the wound had all ready stopped bleeding. Washing it quickly with sterile water, he bandaged it and started looking at the other injuries peppering the man's skin. Someone had had way too much fun at Hotchner's expense. Hotch continued to moan quietly as Johnny worked. He tuned into the sound to let him know if he did something wrong.

Finished with Hotch's top half, Johnny moved to pull his pants down. He was ignoring the two men hovering nearby. If they really wanted to watch, there wasn't much he was willing to do at the moment to stop them. As soon as he reached for the waistband, Hotch reacted badly. Johnny wasn't sure if it had to do with him accidently pulling up on the band, putting pressure on his genitals or if was because he was trying to undress him.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm a paramedic. I just want to make sure you're okay to transport," Johnny said. The man's brown eyes flickered open a couple of times and then opened fully and came to rest on his face.

"Who are you?" Hotch asked. The man seemed familiar, like out of a nightmare. Then the memory came back to him. "You're the paramedic from the first time."

"Yeah, just relax. The helicopter is here. We're going to transport you as soon as we have you secured to the gurney," Johnny informed the agent. He glanced at the other two agents that were standing nearby. "You want to help me move him?"

Within seconds, the three men had Hotch inside the metal frame. There was a blanket under him and two on top of him. Johnny had decided to wait to finish the examination. The man's BP, pulse and respirations were stable. The last thing he needed was to be examined in front of his friends and colleagues.

From the looks of things Roy had agrees on his assessment. He had the thin doctor in the other stretcher, comfortable and secure. Lastly, Johnny glanced over to where Tobey and Os were working on the third victim. They were just now moving her into the third gurney. The body was going to have to wait for the coroner to move it.

"What about him?" Johnny asked, indicating Doug. The man had obviously been beaten as well, although not as extremely as these three.

"He gets to ride in with us," Hicks stated. He'd found the key to the shackles on Mary's body. He'd considered making the man suffer a little bit longer but the paramedics were moving the injured out of the basement. He didn't want to be very far behind. Visions of David and Donnie trying to exact revenge kept playing through his mind. That was the last thing any of them needed. Walking up to Doug, he produced the key and undid the shackles only to replace them with handcuffs.

"CSU is going to have fun with this place," Hicks stated. The three injured had been carried out of the basement. Looking around at the mayhem that remained, the sheriff didn't envy the techs their jobs. Sighing, he led Doug out of the basement toward his cruiser. Nodding to Deputy Cullen, he indicated he should get in the passenger side. Cullen needed to go to the hospital too. Hicks was looking forward to the day when he didn't have to spend so much of it at the damned hospital.

As he climbed into the driver's side of his cruiser, Hicks watched as Rossi and then Morgan each climbed into a helicopter. They weren't taking a chance of their people going in undefended. Hicks didn't think he could blame them. Putting the cruiser in reverse, Hicks was very grateful to be leaving the homestead. It was about time.


	21. Chapter 21

_Hello!! See, I didn't forget about this version. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of action in this chapter. I have to get them healthy enough for the next part of the story. Please stay with me!!_

_Thank you for all the reviews!! I'm glad readers think this version is worth doing as well. I know I'm looking forward to delving into Hotch and Reid's psyches. Here's hoping I can keep it believable!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

It was a much larger hospital than last time. Sheriff Hicks had learned from the last experience of multiple casualties and sent them to the nearest multi-doctor hospital. It also meant he didn't have so far to go. He wouldn't have looked forward to the long drive, being anxious about the agents, Rachel and Deputy Cullen. He'd made another cruiser come, bearing Doug. He didn't want to be any closer to the man than absolutely necessary.

Behind him, in one of the SUV's were the three female agents. They would leave the scene inventory to the CSI's. At the moment their main concern was for their friends. Hicks didn't blame them. He would have driven them himself but Emily had refused. She didn't want to get stuck in some hick town without a way of getting around.

Pulling into the parking lot, Hicks picked the nearest empty parking spot and parked. He waited for the three women by the front doors. It was getting dark. Glancing at the sky, Hicks realized why. A storm was blowing in from the west. The sky was black in that direction. It explained why it was dark this early in the day. As he watched, lightning flashed across the sky, jumping from cloud to cloud. It took several seconds before the thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Do you know where they are?" Emily asked as she, J.J. and Garcia came up to the doors. She glanced in the direction the sheriff was staring, almost expecting an attack. She saw nothing that concerned her so she looked back at the man in front of her.

"They're still in Emergency. Follow me," Hicks stated as he tore his eyes off the sky. He loved a good storm but now wasn't the time. Turning, he headed inside. Roy had kept him in the loop during the trip in. The hospital foyer was the same as any other one he'd ever walked into. Heading to the left, he walked past the reception desk, intent on entering the ER. The receptionist looked up, debating whether to challenge him and his friends but upon seeing the determination on their faces and the uniform the sheriff was wearing she changed her mind. Obviously they knew where they were going.

Striding up to the doors, Hicks barely gave them time to open before he slipped through. Unlike the calm of the reception area, once they were beyond the doors pandemonium reined. The nurses, orderlies and doctors knew what they were doing but from an outside observer it looked like mayhem.

Four rooms were set up. To Hicks left he could see Deputy Cullen lying down on a bed looking nonplussed. He didn't want to be there but he was following orders. His brown eyes caught sight of his boss, relief spread through his face. With a slight wave of a hand, Jack indicated he was all right. Jack was in the room by himself. The workers were satisfied he was stable and now in immediate danger so they'd turned their attention to the other victims.

The next room held Rachel. The ER workers had all ready put in an IV line, catheter and taken x-rays to determine the extent of her head injuries. As a precaution, they'd also taken full skeletal x-rays to make sure that she didn't have any broken bones. With the number of bruises, cuts, etc on her body, they weren't taking any chances.

The room across the hall from Rachel held Hotch. He too had lines coming out of various parts of his body. There were more people in the room, each responsible for dealing with a specific injury. Hotch was awake and aware but trying desperately not to be. The catheter had been particularly traumatic but necessary. If the swelling became too bad, he wouldn't be able to eliminate wastes on his own. He could still feel it, it felt like it was the size of a garden hose, but it was the least of his problems.

"Where's Reid?" Hotch asked the nurse hovering over his right shoulder. Around him people were barking orders, calling out stats and otherwise doing their jobs. He felt incredibly vulnerable lying here naked with all these people around him. While he knew it was necessary, it didn't quite feel right.

"The other agent?" the nurse asked. Getting a slight nod from Hotch, she continued. "He's in the next room. They're doing everything they can for him. From what I understand he's stable and not in mortal danger."

While not really answering his question, Hotch took solace in the fact that Reid was not going to die. He hadn't thought it was a possibility but having it confirmed made him realize just how close the two of them had come. Images of what they had survived began flooding Aaron's mind. The doctors were instantly concerned as his heart rate spiked.

"Agent Hotchner, are you all right?" the nurse asked as she placed her fingers on the side of his neck.

"Yes," Hotch managed, pushing the memories away. Now was not the time to try to deal with them. The last thing he wanted was to be kept here longer because they thought there was something more wrong with him. "I'm fine."

Breathing deeply, Hotch got his heart rate back under control. Just in time for one of the doctors to turn his attention to his genitals. It took every ounce of self control he had to keep Hotch from jumping off the table and throttling the man.

At the same time, another medic began abrading the wound on his side. While it was important to get it as clean as possible, Hotch desperately wished they'd taken the time to give him something for the pain first. As well, another person had begun swabbing at the brand. The pain was beyond anything he'd experienced so far. Giving in to the darkness that was threatening the corners of his vision, Hotch passed out. Rossi stepped in from the corner of the room. Now that Hotch wasn't able to protect himself any more, he was going to watch over everything done to him.

Moving over to the next room, Hicks spied Reid lying on top of the table. The boy looked absolutely miserable as he too was poked and prodded. There were various lines attached to his body as well. From his position at the door, Hicks could hear Reid asking one question after another. Most of them involved the status of his boss and Rachel but others were random facts that he kept spouting out. Standing off to the side, Morgan had his arms crossed over his chest and was watching everything. God help the person who did something wrong. Grinning, Hicks stepped back over to where Jack was waiting.

Garcia and J.J. moved into the room with Reid while Emily went over to stand by Rossi. They were very careful not to look at their associates' naked bodies but they wanted to be there for them.

"How's he doing?" Emily asked as she looked down at Hotch's pale face. The pallor of his skin made the bruises on it stand out all the more. The very sight of them brought tears to her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away. Hotch and Reid were going to need them to be strong. So, hopefully, they won't have to be until they're ready.

"He's stable. Other than that I'm not really sure yet," Rossi admitted. He was still hovering at the end of the bed, watching. He hated to admit it but having the woman here was making him a little uncomfortable. He knew Hotch would be mortified.

"It's okay. I'm not looking," Emily stated. She'd picked up on Rossi's unease immediately. She just felt the need to be nearby. Just in case.

"I didn't think you would," Rossi replied, a small smile on his lips. Emily was nothing if not professional.

"You might want to ask J.J. to make arrangements for hotel rooms. I don't think any of us are going to be willing to leave until Hotch and Reid can go with us," Rossi stated. He for one, planned on staying at the hospital.

"Good idea," Emily said as she stepped out of the room. Rossi was right, they all needed to be ready to spend several days here if necessary. While their superiors might not appreciate it, the team was down two members and wouldn't be able to go out in the field anyway.

Walking into Reid's room, Emily hid a smile. Reid was still talking virtually nonstop. He was so uncomfortable it was contagious. The hospital staff, though, simply chose to ignore him. Taking J.J. by the elbow, the two women left the room.

OOOOO

"How is Rachel?" Deputy Cullen asked. He and Hicks had been sitting quietly in the hospital room. Jack was hoping that the next staff member who came in would tell him he could leave. He knew he had a concussion, his disorientation while trying to find the house proved that, but he wanted to get out of the bed. He hated hospitals with a passion.

"I'm not sure. The doctors are still working on her," Hicks stated.

"I was just a few feet away when Doug was raping her," Jack said as he studied his finger nails.

"It wasn't your fault. I saw the chains in the crawl space. There was nothing you could do to stop it," Hicks tried to reassure his deputy and friend. He'd also seen the marks in the filth on the ground. The woman hadn't gone down gently.

"I heard everything. Then she dragged herself over to me and set me free. God, I hope she makes it," Jack breathed. A disturbance at the end of the hall drew both men's attention. Doug had arrived and had decided to stop being cooperative.

"It's not your fault," Hicks repeated before leaving the room. Stepping outside, he saw two of his men struggling with Doug. "Keep it up. I'd love an excuse to shoot you."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Doug responded. Instantly he stopped fighting. He didn't want to make matters any worse for himself. Glancing around, he saw the two female agents speaking outside one of the rooms. Damn but they were pretty. Too bad it hadn't been one of them instead of Rachel. He would have given into the impulse a lot sooner and had a good deal more fun.

Walking over to a room closer to the beginning of the hall, Hicks peered inside. Seeing that it was empty he indicated to his men to put the man inside. "Keep him under control by any means necessary," Hicks stated as he moved away. Shooting the man would feel awfully damned good. But he wasn't sure he wanted to take the satisfaction from any one of the FBI agents. They had a lot more reason than he did.

"Sheriff Hicks?" a man in blue scrubs called from the end of the hallway. It should have been pretty obvious which of them was the sheriff but Hicks stepped forward anyway.

"That would be me," Hicks stated as he quickly covered the distance. "How are they?"

"Well, there's a long list of injuries on all three of them. You know that the female has been raped?" the doctor stated. Getting a nod of affirmation from Hicks, he continued. "We've taken the standard rape kit as well as pictures of all her injuries. The head injury was cumulative in nature. There shouldn't be any permanent damage, we expect her to wake up any time now.

"We took pictures of all the injuries on Agent Hotchner before we began treating him. None of his wounds was life threatening but if the gunshot wound on his side had been left much longer he would have had to deal with infection as well. The brand on his hip will probably need a skin graft to remove it completely but that will be up to him. He had a severe concussion but that appears to be healing on its own. He has taken significant trauma to his genitalia but that too should heal given time. There are wounds on his torso indicative of being beaten with something like a whip or belt. None of them are deep and should heal without scarring. His ankles and wrists are deeply cut by the metal bindings used on him. We've cleaned them and scarring should be minimal.

"Agent Reid has a deep gash on his left thigh. It will require some minor surgery which we're setting up right now. It was kept reasonably clean but we're going to give Agents Hotchner and Reid both a round of antibiotics just in case. There were some minor cuts and bruises that we've dealt with. His wrists and ankles are deeply cut by the bindings as well. Again we took pictures of all his injuries before we started treatment. Luckily none of them were in serious condition so we could do that without risking their lives," the doctor stated. "All three of them were suffering some degree of dehydration and starvation."

Hicks had glanced over at Emily and J.J. The two agents had moved closer so they could hear the prognosis on their friends. Hicks wasn't entirely sure why the doctor had chosen to tell him all of this. It should have been Rossi or Morgan that he informed but it was okay. He needed to know what they were looking at as well so he could figure out what to charge Doug with.

"How's Deputy Cullen?" Hicks asked.

"He has a concussion. We're running a few other tests just to make sure but he should be fine to go home later on tonight," the doctor stated.

"How long are Hotch and Reid going to have to stay here?" Emily asked. It would help if they had some kind of guideline.

"A few days at most. I want to keep them under observation to make sure infection doesn't set in and that no other injuries present themselves," the doctor said. He glanced down at his watch. "If you'll excuse me, the surgery should be set up by now. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thank you, doctor," Hicks said. Then he remembered Doug. "I have a detainee in the last room on the left. If someone is available he should be looked at as well. He took a hell of a beating."

The doctor cocked an eye brow at Hicks. "I don't suppose your men had anything to do with that?"

"No. Rachel did it," Hicks answered, a small smile on the corners of his mouth.

"I'll send someone out as soon as I can. Take a seat, it could be a while," the doctor said as he headed back into Reid's room.

"Now comes the fun part," Hicks stated. "Waiting."


	22. Chapter 22

_Hi. Finally. I thought I'd have to spend a lot of time editing the part of this chapter I wrote yesterday. Then I read it again today and changed my mind. I don't do personal conversations very well but this didn't seem to be too painfully awkward. Hopefully it works for you too._

_Susanne_

CHAPTERY TWENTY TWO

While the hospital was larger than the last one, it still didn't have a lot of room for people to wait around in. As a result, the BAU members and Sheriff Hicks' men began to take turns. Well, most of them did, anyway. Rossi refused to leave Hotch's side while Morgan refused to leave Reid's side. Neither of them was willing to take a chance that some other psycho might decide to kidnap the agents. While not completely understanding the over protectiveness of the agents, the hospital did put both men in the same room and allowed a roll away cot to be brought in.

Tonight it was Rossi's turn to sleep. The two men took turns sleeping at night. It was their second night of watcher duty. It was four in the morning. The hospital was quiet. Morgan was sitting in a chair between Reid and Hotch, reading a journal with a book light. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up on his reading. He supposed he and Rossi were being a little paranoid but neither one of them could currently face leaving the men on their own at night.

He'd been sitting still for an entire two hours. Arching his back in the chair, Morgan tried to ease a kink that was trying to creep into his muscles. It didn't help as much as he'd hoped. Silently standing up, Derek put the journal and light on the chair and padded out of the room. Just outside the door, he stretched from his toes to the tips of his fingers. His body was not built for sitting still.

Glancing into the room, Morgan assured himself that all three of the occupants were sleeping soundly. Quietly, he began to pace up and down the hallway outside the room. The nurses at the nursing station glanced up at him the first time he passed by, smiled and resumed their work. They all knew about the FBI agents in the room and the agents that watched over them. The other agents too were well known to the staff. The three women went back to the hotel to sleep but during the day, they were at the hospital as well.

"How's it going tonight, Agent Morgan?" the pretty brunette at the desk asked quietly as Morgan passed her for the fifth time.

"Good. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be out of here," Derek said, a tired smile on his face. He was missing his own bed. He was missing the way things used to be.

"Here's hoping," the nurse replied, holding up crossed fingers. Then she turned back to her paperwork.

Passing the open door to the hospital room, Morgan heard a small moan. Instantly alert, he stepped into the room. He checked Rossi, sleeping on the cot and Reid on the bed furthest from the door. Both were sleeping soundly. The sound came again. Drawing his attention closer to home, Morgan realized the sound had come from Hotch.

The dark haired agent was lying on his right side, the side that didn't send agony through his body. Unconsciously, he'd curled in on himself, almost in a fetal position or as close to one as his battered body would allow. As Morgan watched, a grimace passed over Hotch's sleeping face. A small moan followed.

"Hey, Hotch," Derek said. Carefully, he placed a hand on Hotch's top shoulder and shook ever so slightly. He got no response. But now that he was closer, he could hear words slipping out of his boss's lips. He was talking so low, though, that the only word he could make out for sure was 'Rachel'. Sighing, he tried shaking Hotch's shoulder again.

"No, not Reid!" Aaron said as he sat bolt upright in the bed, knocking Morgan's hand off his shoulder in the process.

Breathing unevenly, blinking his eyes, Hotch tried to recover as the images of Reid being raped continued to flash behind his eyes. When was he going to stop dreaming about things that might have been? There were too many of those in his line of work to let one bother him for this long despite the intensity of the circumstances.

"Whoa," Morgan said as he carefully put his hand back on his boss's shoulder. He'd never seen Hotch rattled like this, it was disturbing to witness. "Hotch, you're okay."

"Morgan?" Aaron said his voice quiet and uncertain. Still blinking his eyes, Hotch tried to focus on his friend's face but his eyes were still sleepy and not functioning very well. Squinting up at Derek, Hotch realized part of his problem was that Morgan was standing with his back toward the light of the hallway. It was no wonder he couldn't see Morgan's face. Then it transformed. Suddenly he looked like Doug.

Unconsciously, Hotch jerked away. In the process, he brought his line of sight out of the light from the door into the darkness. Instantly, Morgan's face appeared. Relief flowing through him, Hotch drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them. Then he let his head drop.

"What's going on, Hotch?" Derek asked with concern. For a few moments there, his boss had been looking at him with fear in his dark eyes. Hotch had seemed so very young and vulnerable in that moment.

"Sorry," Aaron said as he took several deep, calming breaths. He hadn't wanted his subordinate to see his nightmares. As disturbing as they were, he knew that they would fade with time. If, however, the dreams came to the notice of his superiors, he would be spending many more sessions in Dr. Heinz's office. That would result in him being kept out of the field, again. He knew the dreams would fade sooner if he was able to keep busy, working, especially out in the field.

"Look, man, I would expect you to have nightmares, both of you. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Derek said. Walking around the bed, he settled back in his chair. He turned it toward Hotch's bed. Clearly his boss wasn't going to go back to sleep any time soon.

"After all the things we've seen, none of this should surprise me," Hotch said, his head still down. "It's not even about what happened. They're about the things that were going to happen."

"There are a lot of 'what ifs' in the world, Aaron," Morgan said. He wasn't used to calling his boss by his first name but in this situation it seemed appropriate. "You need to figure out a way to let it go."

"I know," Hotch said quietly, almost wistfully. Lifting his eyes, he looked Derek in the eye. "Where's Rachel?"

"Ah, she's been transferred to the local jail. They don't want to send her to the women's prison until they're sure she's all right," Derek responded. "Why?"

"I'd like to talk to her," Aaron responded.

"I'm not so sure that that is such a good idea, Hotch," Derek admitted. Behind him, he could hear Reid beginning to stir. Their conversation was disturbing the younger agent. Spencer didn't sleep very deeply anymore.

"I know. But I need to see her anyway," Hotch said, his head dropping again.

"Look, Hotch, I've read the reports the sheriff did after talking with you and Reid. I know that she was a lot of help but she is still the reason all of this started in the first place," Morgan stated.

"I think she's paid enough, don't you?" Hotch responded. "She told Doug to rape her rather than let him do it to us. She saved us in a number of ways."

"Maybe so, Hotch. But she's still a convicted criminal. She's on her way to prison as soon as she's well enough to go," Morgan said.

"I'd like the chance to talk to her before there are bars between us," Hotch pressed. He glanced over Morgan's shoulder to find Reid watching him silently. There was understanding in the younger man's eyes. Now if only he could understand the emotions and thoughts swirling through his mind. Hotch was used to being in control. At all times. This was new territory, ground he didn't want to have to cover.

Sighing in defeat, Morgan looked his boss in the eye. "I'll see what I can do."

OOOOO

The prison cell was dark and drab, just like every other one Hotch had ever been in. The bed was fastened to the right wall of the cell. The toilet and sink were attached to the back wall. The front wall of the cell was made of thick steel bars. The rest of it was poured concrete. It allowed the inmates some privacy while still reminding them of where they were.

Awkwardly Aaron shifted in the wheelchair and then hissed as his side protested. Damn but he hated this thing. But it was the only way the doctors would let him out of the hospital. Stoically, Morgan pushed him forward. Sheriff Hicks had had to pull in some favours to get this thing to happen. Hotch would be part of the prosecution's case when this went to trial. He shouldn't be speaking with her.

Lying quietly on the metal framed cot, Rachel looked over at the procession as they stopped in front of her cell door. Rachel was very grateful when she found out she had the cell to herself. Thus far she'd had to share with other women and it had been hell. Most women were nuts, she'd come to that conclusion. Her heart stopped when she saw Hotch in the wheelchair. Slowly, she sat up but she didn't get off the bed. The guard that had escorted them unlocked the door and stepped back as Morgan pushed Aaron into the room.

"Hello," Hotch said, suddenly feeling very awkward. He swore he heard Morgan snicker above his head. His friend was enjoying his discomfort.

"Why are you here?" Rachel asked. Emotions warred within her. She wasn't sure how she felt about the man on a personal level. Until this moment, that's all their relationship had been, professional, in a twisted sort of way.

"I wanted to see you before they send you to the prison," Aaron stated. He wished he'd been able to manoeuvre the damned chair on his own. He hated having Morgan listening in but the officer in charge wouldn't let him enter the cells alone even if he could. His side wouldn't let Hotch propel the wheels on the wheel chair properly. Even his hip complained, not to mention the gashes on his chest and back. Damn.

"Why? Are you going to have your agent kill me?" Rachel asked. It took Aaron a moment to realize she was dead serious.

"No, of course not. Why would I do that?" Hotch asked, intrigued. He knew that Rachel had low self esteem, probably stemming from the abuse she suffered as a child. But he'd never considered the extent of her self-loathing.

"I started this. I deserve your hatred and disgust," Rachel said. She was looking Aaron directly in the eye. It might be the last time for a long time that she got to be treated as a human being and not a number.

"I don't hate you," Aaron breathed. He realized it was true. Rachel was as much a victim here as he or Reid. In fact she'd paid the ultimate price while the two of them had remained innocent of that act, the act of being raped, thanks to her.

"You should. He does," Rachel said. She didn't even bother looking at Morgan. She remembered the brooding presence from before. In fact, she respected his ability to hold a grudge.

"You need to forgive yourself, Rachel. This isn't your fault," Hotch said.

"How can you say that? You know I took Matt. That I started this whole thing," Rachel said. Unconsciously, she'd shuffled to the back of her cot, pulled her legs up in front of her and wrapped her arms around them. She was the picture of misery.

"Yes, you took Matt. You've taken responsibility for that. But you never hurt him. You took care of him, just as you did the rest of us after Mary kidnapped us. You are not responsible for her actions," Hotch stated. He reached down and tried to move his chair a little bit closer. His side protested and a grimace flashed across his face.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked instantly, taken out of her self-loathing by concern for the man.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hotch responded as he carefully adjusted his position in the chair.

"You should go back to the hospital. You need to rest and get better," Rachel said. Her arms had dropped to the surface of the bed as she finally took a good look at the man. He was pale and his features were drawn in exhaustion and pain. He really did need to be resting. Why was he here?

"I'm fine," Hotch repeated. "You are being transferred to the women's prison in the morning."

"Yes, I know. I guess I should have enjoyed my few days of freedom more while I had them," Rachel quipped with a small smile on her face.

Even Morgan had to pause at that. Then he realized the woman wasn't being serious.

Unsure of a response to that, Aaron just looked at her. The smile got a little bit larger.

"Sorry. Defence mechanism," Rachel said, a blush beginning to colour her cheeks. "I don't want to go to prison. The very thought terrifies me. But I know I need to pay for what happened, including killing Mary."

"The D.A. isn't going to press charges on Mary's death," Morgan spoke for the first time. "He believes you were justified in shooting her."

"Maybe," Rachel responded not sounding convinced, her eyes dropping from Hotch's. "But how do I live with knowing I killed a woman who used to be my best friend?"

"By taking solace in the fact that if you hadn't shot her, Spencer and I might still be under her's and Doug's control," Aaron stated.

"That doesn't say much for your team," Rachel said, the small smile back.

"We would have found you," Morgan assured her. "But it looked like they were getting ready to move to another location. We would have arrived too late to stop them. We would have been starting at square one."

"Doug was dragging Agents Hotchner and Reid out the cellar door when I came back into the basement," Rachel admitted. "They were going to leave me behind, I think. I'm just glad I came back when I did."

"So am I," Hotch stated. "Thank you."

Unsure of how to respond to that, Rachel dropped her eyes again to stare at her hands resting in her lap. Suddenly she wished the man would leave. It was becoming uncomfortable to have him there, seeing her like this. When would all of this be over? Rachel wondered as she waited to see if Agent Hotchner was finished speaking. She hoped so. This was so damned uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how much more of it she could bear before she started sobbing, asking for the man's forgiveness. That was a scene she didn't want to be a part of. At the same time, it was what her soul begged for.

"I'm going to see if I can get your sentence reduced," Hotch said suddenly. He hadn't even been aware he was considering the possibility until hit tumbled out of his mouth. Clearly he was more addled than he'd thought.

"You don't have to do that. I'll serve out my time. It's the least I can do," Rachel stated. She chanced looking Hotch in the eye again. He had such beautiful, intense brown eyes. She'd noticed it before but hadn't allowed herself to contemplate the possibilities. He was an FBI agent, after all, and she was a convicted criminal.

"I would like to try. Will you let me?" Hotch asked. He needed to try to help this woman, to make her life a little bit better. He figured it was the least he could do after all she'd done for him and Reid.

"If you'd like," Rachel said. "But it isn't necessary."

"I think it is," Hotch said. Now he knew why he'd wanted to come here. He'd wanted to confirm what he'd suspected from their time together. Rachel was a victim but she was also a fighter. He wanted to help her. Now he knew she deserved it.

"Time," the guard called as he stopped in front of the cell.

"Take care, Agent Hotchner. Take care of Agent Reid as well," Rachel said as she stood up. It seemed like the thing to do.

Unable to stop himself, Hotch forced his protesting body out of the wheelchair, took a step toward her and then embraced the woman quickly. He felt her stiffen in shock but then Rachel gently placed her hands on his back.

"I'll be in touch," Hotch said as he stepped back. He was surprised by the regret that threaded through his mind as the contact broke.

"You know where I'll be," Rachel responded as she sank back on the bed. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. Hotch wasn't sure if it was because she'd hated having him touch or if it was because she'd liked it. He half hoped it was the latter. Settling back into the wheelchair, Hotch allowed Morgan to push him out of the cell.


	23. Chapter 23

_Hi! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this. It's not coming nearly as easily as the alternate version. But I still know where I'm going, honest!! Thank you so very much for all the reviews! Knowing that people are waiting for me to write this certainly keeps me motivated! Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts. Thank you also to all the people who've put an alert in this story. That too keeps me motivated. I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Not a lot of action or angst but it keeps us going in the right direction._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"What was that all about?" Morgan asked as he pushed Hotch down the hallway toward the parking lot.

"What was what all about?" Hotch parroted. He really wished his subordinate hadn't been there to witness that.

"Does the term 'Stockholm Syndrome' mean anything to you?" Morgan pressed. There was some kind of weird bond developing between his boss and that woman. He wasn't sure he liked it.

"Of course it does, Morgan, but that's not what's going on here," Hotch stated. He refused to look up at his friend. He knew Morgan was right to be worried but he didn't think Stockholm Syndrome was what was going on. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on but that didn't seem to be it.

"Then what is?" Morgan pressed further. They were outside of the building, headed for the SUV. The sky was getting dark. A storm was brewing again. _It must be the right time of year_, Morgan mused.

"I'll let you know as soon as I figure that part out," Hotch growled. It was the best he could do.

Once they reached the vehicle, Hotch practically jumped out of the chair. Damn but he hated that thing. Climbing into the passenger seat, he watched as Morgan pushed the chair around to the back, folded it and put it in the luggage section of the vehicle. Then he climbed behind the wheel and started the vehicle.

"What have they done with Doug?" Hotch asked as they drove out of the parking lot. He didn't want to go back to the hospital. He'd been hoping desperately that he and Reid would be discharged today. That fact that he'd finally been relieved of the catheter in time to go to see Rachel. Having it removed had been agony. While the anti inflammatories the doctors were pumping into him and the cool packs had worked wonders on his swollen genitals, they'd left the catheter in place, just to be sure. It had felt like having a hot poker pulled from his bladder all the way out.

"He is up before the judge this afternoon. He's to enter a plea," Morgan said. He was concentrating on his driving, being much more careful than he usually was. The last thing Hotch needed was to be in a car accident.

"What time?" Hotch hissed. He wanted to see the son of a bitch. He wanted to look him in the face and have him plead 'not guilty'. He knew intuitively that was what the man was going to say. Any defence attorney, no matter how well paid, would use Mary as the scapegoat. After all, she was dead, she couldn't defend herself. Not that there was anything to defend.

"In half an hour," Morgan stated. It was then Hotch realized that they weren't on the road leading to the hospital.

"Reid needs to come too," Hotch stated. They would both benefit from seeing the man from their nightmares in chains.

"He's on the way, Rossi and Emily are bringing him," Morgan said. J.J. and Garcia had returned to Quantico. Someone had to mind the store while the rest of them stayed to watch over Reid and Hotch.

"How long have you had this planned?" Hotch asked. He knew a conspiracy when he heard one.

"Since yesterday. We arranged it with your doctor," Morgan admitted.

"Thank you," Hotch said. He looked out the passenger window to keep from looking at his subordinate. Tears were threatening. Damn but he was really screwed up at the moment. Hopefully the volatile emotions and other reactions to his captivity would be dealt with quickly. He didn't have time to waste on the psychiatrist.

The two FBI agents travelled in silence the rest of the way to the court house. Pulling up in to the parking lot beside the building, Morgan spied the media right away. Suddenly he wished they hadn't sent J.J. home. He knew that as soon as he started unloading the wheel chair the media vultures would be on them. Someone had leaked the story in the last two days despite all their efforts to prevent it.

"Are you ready for this?" Morgan asked. If Hotch told him to, he'd get them both the hell out of here. The Unit Chief was traumatized enough without having to deal with the media hounding him, asking questions that Morgan wasn't sure he even had answers to yet.

Staring out the back of the vehicle, Hotch watched the media people for a moment. He hadn't explained all of this to Haley yet. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to. The last thing he wanted was to have his face on six o'clock news, especially associated with this case. But then, he was associated with this case. During the trial that was sure to come, he and Reid would have to testify and he doubted very much that the judge would close the court. They were going to have to face this eventually. Today seemed as good a day as any.

"Text Rossi, get him to warn Reid. Then get the damned chair out," Hotch said finally.

"Yes, sir," Morgan responded, pulling out his cell.

OOOOO

Morgan brought the wheel chair around to the passenger side of the SUV. So far they'd gone unnoticed but he knew that wouldn't last. At the moment the SUV was between them and the building. As soon as they came around it, someone would notice.

"I have to ask again. Are you ready for this?" Morgan asked as he watched Hotch carefully pull his battered body out of the seat and manoeuvre into the wheel chair.

"Yes," Hotch said. He hated to admit how much just getting in and out of the chair a few times had worn him out. His side had begun to ache, both the wound and the burn. He preferred to not think of it as a brand. As soon as he could, he planned on getting it covered with a skin graft.

"Okay, here we go," Morgan said. Stepping behind the chair, he took hold of the handles and pushed Hotch toward the court room. Almost immediately, a shout rose from the small group of men and women and they surged toward the two FBI agents. Hotch could almost see Morgan reaching to his side to rest one hand on his gun.

"It's fine. Just get me in there as fast as you can manage," Hotch said to him. Then they were nearly overwhelmed by the press of people. All Hotch could see were bodies. Sitting in the chair put him at a decided height disadvantage. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic as microphones were thrust in his face.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted and then the media were being physically moved out of the way. Somehow Hotch wasn't shocked to see Dave and Jared standing in front of him, anger on their faces. "Give the man some room."

Something about the two men intimidated the majority of the press people. Suddenly quiet, they moved out of the way and Morgan began quickly pushing Hotch toward the doors. The brothers fell in on either side of them all the way inside.

"Thanks," Morgan breathed once the door closed behind them. The media was not being let inside for this preliminary hearing.

"You're welcome," Jared responded as he glanced down at Hotch. The older man was recovering quickly. It was somewhat disconcerting to see Hotch in the wheel chair. "Shall we go inside?"

"Lead the way," Morgan stated.

OOOOO

The court room was filled to capacity. But Sheriff Hicks had kept the bench behind the prosecution's desk clear. He'd known that they were coming. He was somewhat surprised, however, to see the brothers. Right behind the four men were Ross, Emily and Reid. The youngest member was in a wheel chair as well. Crutches wore him out far too quickly.

The aisle was wide enough for the two chairs to be lined up, one after the other beside the benches. They were getting settled when a side door opened in the room and Doug was led in, chains around his wrists, ankles and waist. Two guards escorted him to his chair at the defence table.

The bailiff called for attention and announced the judge as the older man stepped out of yet another door. "Be seated," the judge said as he settled into his own chair.

The bailiff announced the docket number and the charges and the session began. The prosecutor and defence lawyer argued briefly about admissibility and other issues. Hotch followed the proceedings closely while the others looked a little lost.

"Enough," the judge barked. "What is the defendant's plea?"

"Not guilty," Doug responded. He didn't bother to turn around. He could almost feel eyes burning into the back of his head. It's what he'd expected. He just hoped there weren't too many guns in the room. He hoped to get out of here alive.

The judge announced the date for the trial and remanded Doug to custody. He wasn't stupid enough to release the man on bail.

Scanning the crowd, Hicks half expected to see Donnie or David among the spectators. They were notably absent. So much for the strength of family. Doug was escorted back out of the court room and they moved onto the next case.

As quietly as possible, the group exited the court room and paused outside in the hallway.

"So, was it as cathartic as you were hoping for?" Rossi asked as he looked at Reid and then Hotch in their chairs. Both men were looking a little pale but otherwise were carefully not showing any emotion.

"I was half hoping he'd plead guilty, like Rachel," Reid said with a rueful grin curving his lip upward. Then he dropped his head. Images of Doug pressing his erection against Reid's back played through his mind. Reid went just a little bit paler.

"No such luck," Morgan responded as he took over control of the youngest agent's wheel chair. He'd seen Reid go pale. He knew something was up. But he also knew that now was not the time. He needed to get the kid alone so they could have a chance to talk. Behind him he heard Rossi pushing Hotch while Emily carried on a conversation with Sheriff Hicks.

As they reached the doors and the media frenzy behind them, Morgan was sure he saw Reid start to tremble, ever so slightly.

"Hey, man, isn't there another way we can get out of here?" Derek asked as he pushed Reid's wheel chair out of range of the video and digital cameras.

"It's okay," Reid said his voice quiet. "They're going to stay there until they get their story."

"That doesn't mean we have to make it easy on them," Hicks said from the back of the line. Moving over to the nearest security guard, he quietly explained the situation.

"This really isn't necessary," Hotch stated. He hated feeling like he needed to hide, to be ashamed of what had happened to them. It took an almost physical effort sometimes to remind himself he and Reid had done nothing wrong.

"Okay, come this way," Hicks said. "Let's get out of here before they realize we're gone."

OOOOO

With some careful manoeuvring, Morgan managed to get Reid alone in the SUV with him. Emily had offered to get in the back but one shake of Derek's head and she'd changed her mind. She knew Morgan was trying to get Reid to open up. It would do them both some good.

"So, how are you?" Morgan asked. Reid was sitting stiffly in the passenger's seat. He was still having trouble with his leg and he was still stiff and sore in places he hadn't known existed until now. While he'd wanted to be there, to see the bastard that had tried to rape him, it had been somewhat anticlimactic.

"I'm fine," Reid stated automatically. It was going to be a long trip back to the hospital.


	24. Chapter 24

_Thank you so very much for all the reviews! I'm very glad that people are still interested in this story even though the abuse part is over. But don't worry, it's not going to all be smooth sailing from here on out. What would be the fun in that?_

_Thanks again for taking the time to review! It makes me very happy!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Driving behind Morgan and Reid, the brothers immediately knew something was up when the vehicle pulled up beside a small park. The other SUV had continued on down the road, the one that led to the hospital. Without a word, Dave pulled in behind the vehicle and watched as Morgan turned to Reid.

"Chick flick moment," Dave breathed as he watched. The older agent was talking earnestly toward the younger man. It appeared they were going to be here for a while.

"Well, if anyone deserves to talk, it's him," Jared responded. He settled back against the seat. He was content to sit here and wait while the two men hashed out whatever it was they needed to hash out. Grunting, Dave reached behind the seat of the car and pulled out a bag of chips. If he was going to have to sit here for a while, he might as well eat.

"Come on, man, talk to me," Derek said as he turned to face his young colleague. Reid had automatically hunched in the passenger seat, his head down, his hands twisting away in his lap. Derek hated seeing him like this.

"There's nothing to talk about," Reid said, his voice a little muffled. "I'm fine."

"The hell you are, Reid. You look like a kid who's been hit one too many times," Morgan shot back.

"I'm not a kid," Reid growled, looking up at Morgan for the first time. Well, at least it was a rise out of the kid, even if it was anger.

"I know that, Reid. We all know that. What we're not too sure on is how the hell to help you, either of you," Derek admitted. "It's one thing to profile an unsub, it's quite another thing to have to deal with the after effects."

"Tell me about it," Reid grumbled. His eyes slipped back to his lap now that the rush of anger had abated. He hated feeling like this, so damned unsure of himself or who he was. How could surviving what he'd been through cause this much damage? It wasn't like he'd actually been raped after all.

"Reid, man, this wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong. You know that, right?" Morgan asked. Those were the words he'd longed to hear when he was growing up under the attention of a pedophile. He just hoped they were what Reid needed to hear.

"Of course I know that," Reid virtually spat out. The words were nice but they didn't quite reach his soul. His lonely, tortured soul. Tears welled as Reid remembered his thoughts back in the basement. Doug hadn't been able to reach his soul. Somehow, in the intervening days, he'd let him in. Even Mary had wiggled her way in. How had he let that happen?

"You might know it but do you believe it?" Morgan asked. He reached over the console between the seats and lifted Reid's chin up and turned his head to look him in the eye. "You are not responsible for any of this."

The tears were joined by others in the corners of Reid's eyes. Then they fell and followed the curve of his face. His brown eyes stared into Derek's brown eyes, trying to find his salvation in those depths. It was only then he realized he had to be his own salvation. He couldn't look to other people to safe him, to make him feel better about himself. He had to do it.

"It's okay, man," Morgan said. He couldn't remember ever seeing Reid cry before. Even after being rescued from Henkel there had been the suggestion of tears in the corners of his eyes and his voice but none had actually fallen. As he watched, Morgan saw another set of tears slide down Reid's cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, Morgan pulled Reid toward him, wrapped his arms around him and waited while the tears turned into heart wrenching sobs.

"It's okay, Reid, let it out," Morgan murmured as he held the much smaller man, feeling his thin frame wracked with sobs that were soaking through the shoulder of his shirt. It seemed to last forever. Gradually, the sobs changed to shutters and great heaving breaths.

Finally, Reid pulled away slightly from Morgan, trying to let him know that he was back under control now. Morgan wasn't sure he really wanted to let go. "I'm okay," Reid said, his voice sounding weak and very tired.

Regretfully, Morgan allowed Reid to rest back in his seat. Tenderly, he brushed Reid's too long bangs out of his eyes. He knew it was a condescending gesture but he couldn't help himself. At this moment the resident boy genius looked like that, a boy. Raising his head, Reid looked at Morgan. The older man was greatly relieved to see strength back in those brown depths. Whatever had just happened, it seemed to be what the younger man needed.

"Thank you," Reid said a slight smile on his lips.

"You're welcome," Morgan replied. "You can only hold this stuff in for so long. Then it starts to poison you." Feeling better, Morgan pulled the vehicle back out onto the road. The sooner they got to the hospital the sooner Reid and Hotch could be released, hopefully.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," Dave grumbled as they followed the SUV back onto the street. They could see the two men embrace, Reid's shoulder shuddering. Immediately Dave had turned his head and watched the kids on the play ground. Jared had watched, unshed tears burning in his own eyes.

"Shut up, Dave," Jared grumbled as he carefully looked out the passenger window, trying to get his emotions under control. After being held by Mary, he'd had a similar melt down. Dave would never admit to it but he'd held him while he'd sobbed like a baby.

OOOOO

"What took you so long?" Emily asked as Morgan wheeled Reid into the hospital. She'd been waiting. The doctor was angry. They were supposed to bring both agents back at the same time.

"We needed to talk," Morgan stated somewhat noncommittally. He knew that Emily would see the redness of Reid's eyes and it would be obvious what had gone on. Still, Reid wasn't slumped in his chair. He had his head up for the first time in days.

"Well, you'd better get Reid up to his room, the doctor is going ballistic," Emily stated as she followed them down the hall toward the elevators.

"Fine. I just thought it would be nice to get a little fresh air after being in the same room as that creep," Morgan said.

"That I understand," Emily responded. The doors to the elevator opened. Rolling Reid inside, Morgan turned to push the button to close the doors only to see the brothers slipping in with them. "What are you doing here?"

"Decided to come along for the ride," Jared stated smiling at the older agent. "Since we were in town all ready."

"Thanks for your help back at the court house," Reid said from his chair. He knew Morgan didn't much like them, their being bounty hunters and all, but Reid kind of liked their irreverence.

"You're welcome," Dave said. Then he grinned as they all piled into the elevator. Things were looking up.

OOOOO

"And how are we feeling today, Dr. Reid?" the doctor asked. Reid was sprawled in his bed, going out of his mind. Most of his aches and pains were gone except for his leg. That was taking longer to heal but he was getting along all right on the crutches.

"We are feeling fine," Spencer responded. He just wanted to go home. He'd counted everything there was to count in his room forty times. He wasn't used to sleeping with another person in the room. While Hotch still had the occasional nightmares he really wasn't a bother. It was just that Reid was used to having his own space.

"I'm glad to hear that," the doctor responded, missing the mild sarcasm in the younger man's voice. On the next bed, Hotch looked up from the file he was reading to glance at the man. He wanted to go home as well. There wasn't another hearing for a month. He had no intentions of staying here that long. Work for the BAU was backing up. Morgan, Rossi, Emily, J.J. and Garcia had had to leave two days ago, to try to deal with the chaos their absence had created.

"How are you feeling today, Agent Hotchner?" the doctor asked, turning to look at the older man.

"I'm fine. When can we be discharged?" Hotch asked. He didn't feel like mincing words with the man. There were too many cases that needed their attention even if they weren't going to be able to go in the field.

"That's why I'm here," Sheriff Hicks stated as he entered the room. He smiled at the two men. He wanted to make sure that both of them got home safely. The only person he truly trusted to do that was him. "I'm your official escort home."

"Really?" Reid said, not quite believing his ears. Just in case, though, he started to pull his covers off and get off the bed. In the other bed, Hotch had closed the file and began packing it and several others away in his brief case. Two nurses entered the room and quickly removed their IV's and other monitors. That done, they left the room.

"How fast can the two of you get dressed?" Hicks asked. He could see the joy in both men's faces. It was nice to see for once. Grinning, the doctor left the room. He'd all ready discussed with the sheriff about writing up their orders for going home. Both men were going to have to be very conscious of keeping their wounds clean, especially Agent Hotchner following the skin graft to cover the brand Mary had given him.

Not bothering to respond, Hotch and Reid moved to their closets and pulled their go bags out. Before leaving, Morgan and Rossi had made sure that their bags were here, just in case. Within minutes, both men were dressed and looking significantly more comfortable.

"You don't have to drive us all the way to Quantico," Hotch stated as he carefully picked up his brief case and bag. Then he saw the two nurses return, pushing wheel chairs. Damn but he hated those things.

"Oh, yes I do. This time I want to know for sure that the two of you have gotten home safely," Hicks responded, a crooked smile on his face. He knew that both men were perfectly capable of getting home on their own. In the time he'd know the two men, however, he'd become a little protective of them. He was very careful to make sure neither of them knew it though.

"If you'll have a seat, we'll stop by the nurses' station and pick up your orders," the older of the two nurses stated, indicating the wheel chair. Reid considered arguing the point but then he gave up. It was not worth the effort. Clutching his go bag to his stomach, Reid settled into the chair. A few feet away, Hotch did the same. He wasn't willing to do take the chance the doctor might change his mind.

Hicks followed behind as the nurses pushed the agents out into the hallway toward the nurses' station. The doctor handed two envelopes to Sheriff Hicks before turning toward the two agents. "I've contacted your personal physicians. You both have appointments with them for tomorrow morning. Your bandages will need to be replaced every day until the risk of infection passes. I've prescribed antibiotics for both of you as well. If anything, and I mean anything, changes I want you at the nearest emergency room ASAP," he instructed.

"Whatever you say, doc," Reid stated. "Thank you for everything you and your staff have done for us."

"You're both more than welcome. Just take it easy, okay?" the doctor responded. From the expression on his face, Reid knew the man thought it wasn't likely but that was okay. They were finally getting out.

"Let's get out of here," Hicks stated as he escorted the two men down the hall and onto the elevator. At the front door he had his SUV waiting and carefully bundled both men inside, Hotch up front and Reid in the back. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."


	25. Chapter 25

_I'm sorry this is so short and so late. Life is getting in the way again. My niece is in the hospital in labour as I write this. I'm very excited but it means updating my stories may take a backseat for a few days. Sorry! _

_I'm also very nervous. My other niece had a baby two years ago. Seth was perfect, but he passed away suddenly when he was three weeks, three months old. I'm not sure that I can face that again. I know, morbid thinking but it's hard not to. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow we will have a new edition to our family._

_I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Not much happens but it helps to set things up for the rest of it, I hope. _

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

"So," Hotch stated, glancing over at Sheriff Hicks. "Who exactly is following us?"

They were approximately half way home. Hotch was in the passenger seat of the SUV while Reid was sprawled in the back seat. During the entire trip Hotch had found it difficult to not be hyper vigilant. He knew Mary was dead and Doug in jail but he still found it hard to not be looking over his shoulder for them. That was how he noticed the dark coloured muscle car staying three cars behind them. The highway was busy but not so much so that he didn't see them.

"Oh, that would be the sibling bounty hunters," Sheriff Hicks responded, a small smile on his face. "They wanted to make sure you got home safely as well. I didn't think you'd appreciate riding home with them."

Reid forced his protesting body up and looked over the seat towards the vehicle shadowing them. Yep, that was them. He smiled. Truth be told, he'd rather be driving with the brothers than with the serious men up front. There had been far too much seriousness in his life of late.

"Are they going to follow us all the way to Quantico?" Hotch asked, watching the vehicle in the side view mirror.

"Probably. I heard them talking before I came to get you. They don't plan on doing any bounty hunting until after the hearing next month. I imagine they'll stay in the vicinity until them," Hicks stated.

OOOOO

"So, do you think they're going to hug?" Dave asked. He knew it wasn't likely but he loved to bug his brother. Jared was the more emotional of the two brothers. Dave wasn't sure if it was because he was younger or just more sensitive. It didn't really matter which, though, Dave would use either excuse to terrorize his brother.

"Yeah, they're going to have an orgy all the way to Quantico," Jared replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. He glanced at his big brother, piloting the car through the busy highway.

"That I really don't want to see," Dave stated, a grimace crossing his face. Okay, so the orgy reference wasn't the best one he could have used. He knew what his brother had been through and tried very hard to be sensitive to things that would bother him. On occasion, though, things just slipped out, like now. Luckily, Jared didn't seem to be taking it to heart. His face hadn't gone pale and colour hadn't risen in his pale cheeks.

"You're the one who created the mental picture, not me," Jared responded. He grinned as he watched his older brother squirm a little in his seat. Dave was a bit of a homophobe. It made times like these particularly special.

"Ah, man," Dave said, still squirming. Beside him, he could hear his kid brother chuckling. That in itself was an improvement. It was almost worth getting that awful picture in his head. Almost.

"Hurry up," Jared said. They'd fallen behind the police SUV by five cars now. "We're going to lose them."

"No, we're not," Dave responded, an evil grin on his face. Humming an AC/DC song, he sped up.

OOOOO

Walking into his apartment, Hotch paused in the entryway and took a deep breath. It seemed like an eternity since he'd been home, much less alone. He moved over to his answering machine and saw that it was flashing. He had messages. For a moment he debated whether to check them or wait until he'd had a little while at home. Deciding there was no time like the present Hotch pushed the button and waited.

The first three messages were someone trying to sell him something. He erased them and moved on. The next five were from Hayley. The first one wasn't so bad, just a friendly hello and a few words from Jack. The sound of his son's voice brought tears to his eyes. As the messages progressed, however, he could hear the concern increasing with each new message. He knew he should have called Hayley, to let her know he was okay personally but he hadn't been able to face it. Rossi had made the phone call for him.

It was a form of cowardice. Hotch knew it but there wasn't much he felt like doing about it at the present time. He had to take the time to get his head screwed on straight before he saw his son. Jack was smart. He always knew when something was wrong with his father and Hotch had no intentions of trying to explain the nightmare he'd just been through.

The least two messages were from Strauss. He'd assumed the woman would know that he wasn't at home but apparently not. Then he heard the time code on each message. She'd called today. Sighing, he decided to wait until tomorrow to return her calls. Just then his new cell phone vibrated. Checking the call display he sighed again.

"Hotchner," he said as he keyed it on. He steeled himself against the voice on the other end. Strauss didn't sound very happy.

"I've been calling you, Agent Hotchner. I was expecting you into the office today," Strauss said.

"I won't be coming in today, neither will Reid. We were just released from the hospital this morning," Hotch said. As he spoke he carefully settled into his couch in the living room. He was already starting to feel very tired. Damn he'd hoped his strength would come back faster than it was. At this rate he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive a full day at work. Luckily, he could get away with spending a lot of time at his desk.

"Your team is heading out to Chicago in thirty minutes. Aren't you even vaguely curious about the case?" Strauss asked. Hotch could hear the accusation in her voice. Clearly she thought he should be at his desk. Well, Morgan and Rossi were perfectly capable of handling a case on their own. All ready Hotch could feel the tension building up inside his mind and body.

"I'll have Garcia send me the information and I'll go over the case here at home. I'll be in the office first thing in the morning. Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss all know my cell phone number if they need anything," Hotch stated.

"Do you think that will suffice?" Strauss asked. There was that accusation in her voice again.

"I'm afraid it will have to do for today," Hotch said. He didn't care much what the woman thought, his superior or not. He knew that neither one of them were capable of being much help. Not until after they'd both had a good night's sleep.

"All right, I will see both of you in the morning." With that, Hotch's superior hung up. Resting his head against the back of his couch, Hotch closed his eyes. Absently, he rested his hand on his side and hip. He wasn't sure if it was phantom pain or if they still ached as badly as they seemed to. And so it began again.

OOOOO

Sheriff Hicks dropped Reid off last. He parked his SUV and helped the kid carry his bag into his apartment. For some reason he had to make sure he knew the kid was safe behind a locked door before he could leave. With Hotch, he'd dropped him off on the sidewalk outside his apartment building and watched until he'd gone inside. That just wouldn't do with Reid.

"Make sure you lock this thing once I leave," Hicks stated as he headed toward the door.

"Yes, mother," Reid responded, a grin on his face. He was used to being treated like a child. For once, though, it felt kind of reassuring. He'd dropped his bag on a chair in his foyer. He turned on his crutches to face the man.

"Don't sass me, boy," Hicks said with a smile on his lips. "I'll see you and your boss in a month."

Before Hicks had a chance to close the door, the brothers were in the hallway, making a b-line for Reid's door. Dave had two boxes of pizza in his hands while Jared had a couple of bags of groceries.

"What are you doing here?" Hicks asked.

"We were hoping we could crash for the night. Since we're not currently working the money is getting a little tight. We'd rather not pay for a hotel room for the night. Besides, we need someone to help us eat all this pizza," Jared stated.

Hicks glanced over at the young profiler. "Is that okay with you?" he asked. He'd chase the guys out if Reid told him to.

"No, no, that's fine," Reid stated, pleasantly surprised. He'd been dreading the idea of spending his first night alone at home. He enjoyed his own company but it would be nice to have something to distract his mind from things. "I have lots of room."

"Okay," Hicks said as he stepped aside to let the young men enter Reid's apartment.

"We figured you wouldn't have much for groceries so we stopped and picked up a few things along the way," Jared said. "Where would you like them?"

"The kitchen. Thank you," Reid said watching as the brothers descended on his apartment. Feeling much better, he nodded at the sheriff before shutting his door on the man. This was going to be more fun than reading journals all night.

Grinning, Hicks had a thought. Hotchner wouldn't have much for groceries either. Maybe he'd like a little bit of company too. It beat driving all the way back home today. Humming quietly to himself, he headed down to the main floor and his cruiser. At the very least the man needed the bare essentials if he was going to make it to morning.


	26. Chapter 26

_Hello! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story or any of my other ones. I've just been busy with life in general. My niece had a perfect little girl on Nov. 6. Mother and baby are doing just fine. But I have to admit I will be holding my breath until she is at least three weeks, three months old. I guess it's hard not to._

_Anyway, thank you oh so much for all the lovely reviews and for your words on encouragement. I really was panicking a little bit there. Your words brought a smile to my face!_

_I hope you enjoy the new chapter! I'll try to update sooner. But life gets in the way sometimes. (Isn't that a song??)_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

The first thing Hotch did was take a shower in his own bathroom. It had been far too long. He was careful to not scrub at any of his wounds. They were healing well but he wasn't ready to take any chances.

It had taken a lot longer to get feeling clean than Hotch had anticipated. He understood all of the psychological phases he and Reid were going to go through during their healing process but to actually feel them was an entirely new experience. One that was not particularly pleasurable. His skin was red from scrubbing at it with a face cloth. The too hot water hadn't really helped either.

Finally finished, Hotch padded into his bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and his wet hair sending rivulets of water down his back and chest. The sensation sent a shiver through his body. He was still weak from the abuse. He wasn't entirely sure how long it was going to take to begin feeling like his old self again. He was afraid it was going to be a lot longer than he was willing to allow.

Dressed in a pair of loose fitting jeans, a t-shirt and fleece outer shirt, Hotch picked up his socks and headed for the living room. Feeling more human he was ready to sit down and stare at the TV for the rest of his life. Not really but for a few minutes anyway. He had to build up enough strength to head out to the local store. He needed breath and milk, among other things.

Just as he sank down onto his couch, Hotch heard his door bell ring. Groaning softly, he pushed his achy body out of the piece of furniture and made his way toward the front door. Along the way he snagged his revolver. He'd been through too much to take the chance. Besides, he knew Morgan and the others were still out of town. Keeping the gun out of sight, Hotch leaned forward to peer through the peep hole on his door.

Through the peep hole Hotch first saw a shiny object. It took a moment of refocusing his eyes to realize it was a sheriff's badge. Behind it stood Sheriff Hicks, holding three bags rather precariously in his arms.

Heaving a deep sigh, Hotch stepped back, undid the locks and opened the door.

"Thought you could use some food," Hicks stated as he slipped by the speechless Unit Chief.

"Come on in," Hotch said as he relocked the door and turned to face the sheriff. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you aren't going to starve before tomorrow. Besides, the brothers dropped in on Reid. It gave me the idea to come back here. I don't really feel like driving all the way home tonight," Hicks admitted as he set the bags on the counter in the kitchen. "Now, where are your pots and pans?"

"Why?" Hotch couldn't help but ask. He enjoyed cooking well enough but never seemed to have the time to do it anymore. Tonight he was planning on having a frozen dinner or something. The less effort required the better. Silently, he indicated the appropriate cupboard.

"I'm going to cook you my famous fried chicken. Do you have a VCR or DVD?" Hicks asked as he bent down to rummage through the cupboard.

"DVD, why?" Hotch was both annoyed and relieved by the man's presence. He hadn't been looking forward to his first night, alone hence the relief, but by having Hicks here put off facing the inevitable by one more day.

"Well, I bought a couple of movies I wanted to see. I was hoping you'd upgraded to DVD's," Hicks said. He had the pots he needed and turned his attention to the bags. From the middle one he pulled two DVD's and handed them over to Hotch. Looking at the titles Aaron wasn't surprised to find that they were both comedies. Just what the doctor ordered.

"Thank you," Hotch said as he began unwrapping the movies. Glancing at him, Hicks wasn't sure if he was thanking him for the movies or for showing up. It didn't really matter though, the response was the same.

"You're welcome."

OOOOO

Two days later the team returned. Hotch and Reid were both at their desks, working on paperwork. Strauss had made sure that there had been lots of that since their return. Reid had filled in blanks until his head hurt. Trying to keep the younger man from going at it too hard, Hotch had suggested breaks frequently the previous day. The young genius had only accepted twice.

"Hey, man, how are you feeling?" Morgan asked as he plopped wearily into his desk, his go bag in his hand. It was time to take his go bag home and restock it. It had been a long, tiring trip.

"I'm fine," Reid answered automatically as he looked up from the second pile of files so far today. He had to squint to see Morgan properly. He'd been staring at the fine print too much for his eyes to adjust quickly. "How was the case?"

"Same old, same old," Morgan stated. He knew Reid had read through the case file all ready and was up to speed on the hell they'd just extinguished. Not really feeling like talking about it, he'd chosen the easy way out. "How are you feeling?"

"You asked me that all ready," Reid stated as he watched the women spread out to their various domains. Everyone looked beat. He'd assumed they'd head straight home after so many days on the road. It was what they usually did.

"Yeah, and you didn't give me an answer," Morgan stated, a small grin on his face.

"Yes, I did," Reid shot back. He knew what Morgan was after. He wanted a status report. He wanted to know how his body was healing and how his mind was healing. Reid wasn't willing to go there within the confines of work, mostly because he was afraid of breaking down and crying in front of the other operatives.

"Okay," Morgan breathed, clearly not happy with the answer.

"How are you, Spence?" J.J. asked as she sat down on the edge of the young genius's desk. Absently she pushed some of her blond hair behind her left ear.

"I'm fine. I wish people would quit asking me that," Reid said. He barely managed to keep the growl out of his voice. He knew they meant well but it was beginning to grate on his nerves. He wasn't helpless after all.

"How about if we meet for a drink after work?" Emily suggested from her desk.

"I'm not supposed to drink with the prescriptions I'm on," Reid stated. The doctor had given him a course of antibiotics to take once he got home. His family doctor had seconded the idea. The drugs were less effective when alcohol was taken but it wasn't exactly a counter indication for them. Spencer just wanted to go home. The brothers would be back tonight. They had headed up north for a quick bounty hunt. Jared had expected it to last one day.

"Then drink pop. Come on, Spencer. We just want to spend some time with you that doesn't involve unsubs," Emily stated. She glanced up at Hotch's office. She could see their Unit Chief bent over his desk through the window. Strauss had been obviously keeping them busy.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just still very tired by the end of the day," Spencer said, looking around at the circle of concerned faces. Garcia had come down to stand between Morgan and Emily's desk. She had her arms cross over her chest and looked to be on the verge of tears. Reid hated that he was the source of so much worry and concern.

"Okay," Morgan said, looking closer at the younger man. Reid did look tired. In the corners of his eyes and mouth there were lines from pain. He knew why Reid wouldn't take anything stronger than aspirin but it bothered him to see the kid like this. What he didn't see, though, was the victim in his posture. Whatever Reid was dealing with, he wasn't blaming himself for what happened. That simple fact made Morgan feel better. "But, we are taking you and Hotch out for supper. No arguments."

Sighing in defeat, Reid nodded his head in agreement. They weren't going to leave him or Hotch alone until they were sure they were all right. Looking up at Hotch's office, Reid saw Rossi sitting in a chair in front of it. From the look on Hotch's face they were having a similar conversation.

Since returning to work, Reid and Hotch hadn't spoken much. Reid wasn't sure if it was because Hotch was preoccupied by his own aches and pains or because he wasn't ready to discuss what had happened yet. The possibility that he had just been too busy had occurred to the young genius as well. Strauss had been laying it on pretty thick. She even had them going through cold cases, trying to come up with new profiles. While it was a worthwhile endeavour, it was incredibly time consuming.

"Good. What are you working on?" Morgan asked. He had a few open cases on his own blotter but he wasn't quite ready to leave Reid alone. He was still struggling with the need to protect the younger man, to watch over him. It was a natural reaction after almost losing him but it also got in the way, a bit.

"Cold case," Reid said as he turned back to the file on his desk. "I have six more to get through before I can leave tonight."

"Are you nuts?" The words slipped out. Morgan couldn't imagine getting through all of those in the five hours left in the day.

"No, but apparently Strauss is," Reid responded, a half smile gracing his lips. Then he settled in to work the next case.

OOOOO

The general consensus on supper was to go to their usual place. It was more pub than restaurant but the food was good and it was familiar surroundings. The best part was that it was close enough to work that they could walk there. As a group, the members of the BAU walked down the sidewalk. Unconsciously, Morgan was between Hotch and Reid and the road. Rossi was bringing up the rear while Emily was leading the way. Garcia and J.J. were in the middle, trying to keep Reid and Hotch entertained. They moved at a slower pace than normal because of Reid being on the crutches.

As Emily opened the door, the scent of food flowed over them and the sound of several voices talking at the same time could be heard. Stepping inside, she spotted a table toward the back that was big enough for all of them. Expertly she waded through the bodies. J.J. and Garcia followed suit.

The sound hit Reid like a wall. The thought of so many people crammed into such a small place was almost overwhelming. Swallowing his fear, Reid continued inside. He'd been here many times before. It was frequently this crowded. He was just being unreasonable. Following Garcia's disappearing back, he tried to worm his way through.

First a woman backed into him. Reid stepped away from her, not wanting her to touch him. Instantly, he was up against a tall, well built man. Looking up at him, Reid suddenly felt very small and vulnerable as he fought with his crutches. Grinning, the man pulled Reid a little bit closer. He was going to shout something in Reid's ear but he never got the chance.

Catching hold of Reid's closest arm, Hotch pulled the younger man away and steered him toward the table. The Unit Chief was finding the press of bodies difficult as well. He was now all too aware of his own personal space and hated having others violate its perimeter. It was with great relief that the two of the reached the table along the back wall. Sliding Reid into the seat against the wall, Hotch took the one next to him. Somehow he felt better knowing no one could come up behind them.

Emily had stopped at the bar and ordered food and drinks for them. A waitress came up with a tray and started off- loading glasses and napkins. Reid had braced the crutches against the wall beside him. It was a physical barrier between himself and the person at the next table. The noise prevented any real conversation. The press of people was very distracting. Reid almost felt like he was drowning as the waitress placed a glass full of dark liquid in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Hotch shouted as he leaned in close to Reid's ear. He still had a hand on the younger man's arm and had noticed that he was trembling.

"Um," Reid managed as he looked around wildly. It was getting to be too much. He wasn't seeing Morgan, Rossi and the others. He kept catching glimpses of Mary in the crowd and Doug. Bile was rising in his throat as memories began to crowd out the imagines in his eyes.

"Hey," Hotch said as he forced Reid to look at him and not the people around them. At first Reid's eyes kept darting around as he scanned the room for those two all too familiar faces. But eventually, as Hotch continued to hold tight, his brown eyes came to rest on his boss's darker brown eyes. Hotch saw the fear and panic in those depths. Reid was on the verge of having a panic attach. "You're safe."

"Ah," Reid breathed as he tried to relax. His breath was coming out in short bursts and the sound in his ears was being replaced by the too fast beating of his own heart. The guy at the next table chose that moment to go to the bathroom. Drunkenly, he swayed as he gained his feet and brushed against Reid's back.

The unexpected touch sent lightning bolts of fear through Reid's system. His eyes widened as his breathing grew even more shallow. Without thinking, Spencer leaned into Hotch, as the trembling turned to tremors. The others had become aware of their youngest member's distress. Morgan manhandled the drunk away while Rossi slid in beside Reid, to further protect him from the other occupants. Hotch wrapped his arms around Reid protectively. Trying to deal with Spencer's terror was helping him to ignore his own. This had been a very bad idea.

Just as Hotch was afraid that Reid was going to melt into a quivering mass of fear and confusion, two more bodies joined the fray. Looking up he saw the bounty hunting brothers wading through the customers. Jared looked as comfortable as he felt while Dave just looked pissed off.

"Whose brilliant idea was this?" Dave shouted over the noise. He could see how distressed Reid was. Their host had left a message on Jared's phone, telling them that he was going out for supper with his colleagues and where they were going. He didn't want the brothers to have to wait for him if they got home before he did.

"I just never thought," Morgan breathed as he watched Hotch try to calm Reid down. Reid was curling in on himself as much as his lanky body would allow. His cheek was pressed against Hotch's chest and Hotch's arms were still wrapped protectively around his shaking shoulders. Luckily the place was busy enough and loud enough that none of the other patrons had noticed the little scene.

"We're getting him out of here," Dave growled. Gently he moved forward, pulled Reid's crutches out and thrust them at his brother. Then he carefully unclasped Hotch's arms and turned Reid until he was looking at him. "It's okay. We're going home."

In the sea of faces swirling around his overwhelmed senses, Reid heard Dave's voice. Grasping hold of the last shred of self control he possessed, Reid forced his eyes to focus on the dark blur that had hold of him. Relief flowed through him upon recognizing the older brother. Then he was able to scan the rest of the concerned faces around him. Shame burned brightly on his face as he realized what it must have looked like while he huddled against his boss's chest. Damn, damn, damn.

"I'm okay," Reid squeaked. He glanced over at Hotch, half expecting to see pity or loathing. Instead all he found was grave concern and understanding. Jared leaned in and said something to his brother. Scowling, Dave stared at Jared for a moment. Gritting his teeth together, Dave reached behind him, caught hold of a chair and pulled it up to the table.

"What's for dinner?" Dave asked as he looked around at the members of the BAU. Silently, Jared settled into another chair. Clearly they weren't going anywhere until Reid was ready to leave. Spencer found a great deal of comfort in that.

The rest of the evening passed without a hitch, even when the drunk came back from the bathroom to find his seat gone. One look at Dave's scowling face and he decided it wasn't worth the effort. As time passed and the number of patrons began to diminish even Reid came out of the shell he'd wrapped around himself so tightly. Hotch still kept a very close eye on him though, the first sign of another attack and they were leaving. He never wanted to see Reid so small and vulnerable again.


	27. Chapter 27

_Hello! Bet you thought I forgot about this one, huh? Don't worry, I haven't. It's just that the other version is currently so much easier to write. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I deeply appreciate you taking the time to write them!_

_Enjoy._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

The next few weeks passed quietly enough. The brothers came and went as jobs came available. Reid and Hotch were finally allowed to go out in the field in a limited. Dr. Heinz had met with both men. He knew that they both needed further counselling but wasn't willing to keep them confined to their desks. Even he knew that would just make matters worse.

The case against Doug was proceeding. The man was not bothering to drag his feet. His lawyer was pressing for a speedy trial and the DA was willing to let that happen as well. Strauss wasn't thrilled with the fact that both of Hotch and Reid were going to have to testify. She didn't like the exposure that would result but the choice wasn't hers.

The BAU was on their third case since Hotchner's and Reid's return to the fold. It was particularly horrific. A man was kidnapping young male prostitutes. He kept them in an unknown location, attacking them, ravaging them until they died. They all ready had six bodies and were no closer to figuring out where he was taking them.

The BAU's command post had been set up in the local PDs central office. Reid, J.J. and Garcia were manning the command post while Hotch, under careful supervision by Rossi, Emily and Derek were out examining the newest dead body.

"Do you think he's grabbed someone else all ready?" Emily asked as she gazed down at the naked, emancipated, badly beaten young man. The person or people responsible for his death had tossed him in a large pile of garbage behind a local mall. They had absolutely no concern for the man's dignity and showed no respect for him either. That wasn't particularly surprising but it was still disturbing to witness.

"That's what the M.O. would indicate," Rossi replied. He knelt down beside the young man and carefully moved his left wrist so he could see it better. The seasoned profiler felt bile rise in his throat. There it was. The mark burned into the man's flesh. It had all ready started to heal, indicating that the brand had been applied several days earlier. "It's him."

Standing over by the SUV, Hotch turned away. He was pretending to check out the bystanders but mostly he was finding it particularly difficult to look at the man's body. One thought kept playing through his mind. _That could be Reid._

Behind Hotch he could hear the CSI busily taking photographs of the area and of the crowd. It was one of the first requests they'd made upon arriving on the scene. Chances were very good that the unsub had come back to witness the response his/her work had created. It was a form of gratification to see the horror on the onlookers' faces.

"Are you all right?" Rossi asked as he stepped up beside Hotch. He'd notice at the last scene that Hotch had stayed back, not getting very close to the body. Rossi had realized just how much the prostitutes looked like Reid immediately. But, the fact that they were prostitutes and Reid a genius who had more doctorates than he cared to try to figure out was enough to create a distance for him. It made dealing with the scene, the evidence and the profile that much easier.

Apparently Hotch was having trouble finding that distance. Looking deeply into Hotch's troubled brown eyes Rossi saw the panic and fear swirling around those depths. In all his years of profiling, Rossi had often dealt with the after effects of sexual assault and violence. He was at a loss, however, when it came to dealing with it in his friends.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hotch responded automatically. It wasn't lost on Rossi, however, that Hotch's eyes never came to rest on the victim, even after the ME's people covered him with a sheet in preparation of putting him in a body bag.

"I don't believe that any more than you do," Rossi stated. He'd seen everything at the scene he'd needed to. Now he wanted to help his friend, somehow.

"I'm fine," Hotch repeated, a hard edge in his voice.

"Yeah, you and Reid both. I know you can do this. I'm wondering, however, if you should," Rossi stated. He moved so he was between Hotch and the crowd. It seemed to be the only way to get the Unit Chief's undivided attention.

The bright sun made Hotch squint slightly to look at his friend and colleague. Rossi was right. Hotch wasn't on his game and neither was Reid. He wasn't sure how long it was going to take either of them to get back to where they were before. It was beginning to dawn on him that he and Reid were never going to be exactly as they had. They had seen and been through too much for that to be possible. The thought caused a strong melancholy to begin to settle on his heart.

"There's nothing here," Morgan said as he came up behind the two men. There were no clues to help them. Rather, there were too many. By dumping the body in the garbage the unsub had created a crime scene full of evidence. The hard part was going to be sorting through it and figuring out what was important. That part of the job went to the CSI's. "We should get back to the station and see if this changes the profile."

"Once we find out the victim's name from his finger prints we can figure out what part of the city he usually works. That will help narrow down the search," Rossi suggested as he opened the front door of their SUV.

"Hopefully," Morgan added. "So far we have six bodies and six different areas of the city where the victims usually worked."

"That in its self should be telling us something. There aren't that many people in a city this size who know all these areas this well. Let's add that to the profile," Hotch suggested. He was climbing into the back seat of the vehicle. While his injuries were mostly healed, he often felt a twinge of pain when climbing in and out of vehicles. The motion involved too many of the muscles on his side that had been brutalized. He moved a little slower than usual but tried to hide his discomfort from his colleagues. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to be left behind.

"Reid's been working on a geographical profile. This new piece of information may help," Emily stated as she climbed into the other side of the back seat. She'd been listening to the conversation and had only now decided to join in.

Staring out the window, Hotch chose to remain silent. Watching the city pass by, he tried to run through the profile one more time. There was something that wasn't adding up but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. It was driving him to distraction. Not a good thing. Sighing, Hotch turned his gaze to his colleagues.

Hotch knew they were concerned for him and Reid. It was glaringly obvious in every word they spoke to them and every action they took. It was as if his colleagues had decided the two of them were now extremely fragile, in need of protection. That wasn't helping them or the victims. It took too much of their attention away from where it belonged.

For the first time, Hotch tried to seriously consider taking himself and Reid out of the field. They could help from Quantico as they had before this last incident with Mary. The thought wasn't a particularly attractive one. He hated being left in the office, so did Reid. If they came with the team there were subtle nuances of the crime scenes and the locations that they missed otherwise. At least that was how he rationalized it.

OOOOO

Back at the station, Reid was carefully sitting on the edge of a desk, his arms crossed over his chest while he unconsciously beat out a tempo with a pen against his bottom lip. He was staring at the map and its' two colour thumb tacks, trying to find the pattern he seemed to be missing. The scattered voices and noises of the surrounding offices had melted into the background. He barely even noticed it while he ran through all the details he knew of the case through his mind. They were missing something, he was sure of it.

Picking up a black thumb tack, Reid limped over to the map and pressed it into the paper at the location of the last body dump. There were also yellow tacks in the map, signifying where the victims usually worked and red tacks from where they were assumed to have been abducted. Only in two cases did they have eye witnesses to the abductions. Even then, the details were pretty sketchy.

So far the unsub/subs had been working at night. The darkness was the perfect cover, turning the dark van into anything between dark blue to pitch black in colour. The description of the van itself ran the gamut between a 2009 Chevy Caravan to a 1989 Dodge Getaway. Nothing seemed to match. Frustration was gnawing at the edges of Reid's mind. It made concentrating that much harder.

As soon as Reid's frustration level rose, the pain in his hip and his thigh seemed to be right behind. Most of the time he was able to rest the injured limb on the edge of a desk or to put his foot up, preventing the aching pains. When he was frustrated though, there was little he could do to stop the pains. He knew that would indicate the pain was primarily psychosomatic but that didn't help. It still hurt. No matter what he did. Even the Tylenol had lost its effectiveness and he was too uneasy about trying anything stronger.

"What's wrong?" J.J. asked as she came to join the young genius in front of the map. Reid had been staring at the large sheet of paper for nearly half an hour. Of course Spencer all ready knew the map by heart. He remembered everything he read. It was part of his charm. So the fact that he continued to stare at it with a contemplative expression on his lean face was out of character.

"I'm not sure. There's something here but I can't seem to be able to figure it out," Reid admitted. He hated the feeling of helplessness that was trying to wash over him. Angrily, he shoved it away from his mind.

"Well, this might help," J.J. suggested. Picking up a yellow and red tack, she checked a piece of paper in her hand and placed them on the map in the appropriate addresses. "We just got an ID from the finger prints. One of the officers recognized him from a mug shot."

"Hm," Reid breathed as he processed the new information. It helped but not enough. Reid's eyes unfocused, he turned his attention inward. It was there, just out of reach. "Where's the new victim's picture?"

"Here," J.J. said as she pulled a 8 by 11 inch glossy out of the file folder on her desk and added it to the other young men's pictures on another board a few feet away.

"The unsub doesn't seem to care what colour hair his victims has, that and the fact that all of the victims so far have been white would suggest that the unsub is Caucasian." Reid was talking more to himself than to J.J. "Serial killers usually hunt within their own race."

"All six of these men are prostitutes. Their lifestyle makes them easy targets, especially since male prostitutes usually work alone*. The heights are different, ranging between 5 feet, 4 inches to 5 feet, 11 inches. The fact that none of them have been taller would suggest that the unsub is at least six feet tall. The height difference makes the victims easier to handle. Otherwise we would have found drugs in the previous victims' bodies," Reid said as he continued to run through the facts in his mind.

"All six of the victims so far have been thin," Reid breathed. He was looking at each of the victims' pictures in turn. "None of them are particularly well developed, which makes me think the unsub might be conflicted in his gender choice. All the victims have been men but could easily be made into women. Maybe that's it."

"Has the ME checked the bodies for chemicals on the skin?" Reid asked suddenly as he turned back to J.J.

"I'm not sure, why?" J.J. wondered. The others were just entering the station after returning from the crime scene. They were carrying bags of take out. It was long past lunch.

"I think the unsub might be making these men up with make up to change their gender. He wants to have sex with men but doesn't want to face the 'perversity' of his urges. He picks slight men because then he can put them in female clothes and make up and pretend they're women," Reid said. The light had had been missing from his eyes for so long was back. He was excited by the fact that the tendrils of information were starting to draw together, to become a whole. "He wouldn't want people to know that and so he'd clean them up before he dumped them. That's why they're naked. He wants to keep the clothes he puts them in as souvenirs."

"Where did you get this from?" Morgan asked. He was often floored by Reid's ability to put seemingly unconnected clues together and make sense of it. He began unpacking the food. He always thought better when his stomach wasn't growling.

"I don't know," Reid stated, uncertainty marring his face as he gazed at his fellow BAU members. Suddenly, the idea seemed completely illogical. Reid's eyes slid to the ground as he carefully settled into the nearest chair, his hip and thigh beginning to pound with pain.

"You know, that makes a degree of sense," Rossi stated as he looked at the others. Then he turned his attention to the board. Staring at the faces of the six slain young men, he realized that Reid was right.

"Why wouldn't the unsub just pick up transsexuals?" Garcia asked from her position behind her laptop. She wasn't too sure why they'd brought her along for this case but she was happy to be out in the field.

"If Reid's right, the unsub doesn't want men who dress as women, he wants to dress them himself. It's part of the fantasy he needs to be able to have sex with men," Hotch stated. Images of Reid being ravaged by Doug flashed across his mind. Closing his eyes, Hotch pushed the scenes away. The dream was now affecting him while he was awake. But he had the feeling it was because of their current case, not because he was getting worse. It was far too easy to unconsciously put Reid's face over top of the victims'.

"How would this affect the profile?" Emily asked. She kept looking over at Reid. It killed her to see the young genius so uncertain of himself. Even now when the rest of them were coming over to his idea, the young man was sitting in the chair, practically folding in on himself as he had at the bar. She'd hoped to never see that again.

Quickly the conversation was turned toward the profile. Within minutes they had a much better idea of who they were looking for. After presenting the updated profile to the officers, Hotch and Rossi turned their attention to their youngest member.

"You did good," Rossi stated as he pulled a chair up beside Reid. The younger man's too long dark brown hair was hanging in front of his face. His hands were ceaselessly moving in his lap but otherwise Reid was completely still.

"How long has it been since you slept last?" Hotch asked. He too had pulled up a chair but he wasn't leaning as far forward. He couldn't, his side wouldn't let him.

"I don't know," Reid responded noncommittally. Having the others question his idea had left Reid feeling unsure and shaky. He was never one for confrontation but during his life he'd learned how to deal with the discomfort and how to stand up for himself. It seemed as if that ability had evaporated.

"You're been up all night too, Hotch. Why don't you both go back to the hotel for a while? Maybe a shower and rest would do you both some good," Rossi suggested. He knew Hotch would hate the idea. He was the Unit Chief. He felt he had to be there during the entire investigation. But Rossi was under strict orders from Strauss. He was to keep both men from overextending themselves.

Doug's trial started in three days. He had to make sure they were ready to face that hell whether the case was resolved or not. If it came down to it, Reid and Hotch would be flown back to Quantico while the rest of them worked the case. If they were needed to testify, they would fly out and then come back. While it wasn't optimal, it would work if they needed it to.

Hotch's automatic response was 'no'. Then he looked down at the top of Reid's head. The kid needed a break and quite honestly, so did he. Feeling defeated, Hotch nodded his head. Standing up, he carefully pulled Reid up to his feet. Morgan brought over Reid's crutches. He'd been listening in and had to agree. While Garcia narrowed down the list of suspects the police gave them there wasn't much either man could do.

"What?" Reid asked distractedly as his crutches were thrust at him.

"An officer is going to take you and Hotch over to the hotel. We'll let you know if anything happens," Morgan assured the younger man as he directed him toward the door where an officer was waiting for them. Reid wanted to argue. He really did. But he just didn't have the heart at the moment. Without looking at the rest of his team, Reid carefully made his way out of the station. Sleep was a very good idea.

"Make sure you call," Hotch grated as he followed Reid out. He hated this. He really hated this but it was for the best. At least he hoped so. Resigned, he made sure Reid got in the back seat with his crutches before climbing into the front seat. Sleep did seem like a very good idea.

_AN: * I have no idea what I'm talking about but this sounds good. It all made a lot of sense in my mind, hopefully you agree! This is one of the reasons I've always hesitated to write a Criminal Minds story, I'm not that much into the psychology/profiler part. _


	28. Chapter 28

_Hello! I know, I'm a terrible writer. It's been soooo long since I last updated anything. Unfortunately it's that time of year and it's only likely to get worse until after Christmas. I'll update when I can but none of my stories will be updated with any regularity. Sorry!!!! I'll try my best though._

_Enjoy!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

The trip to the hotel was short. The BAU members had taken rooms in the nearest hotel they could find. Climbing out of the squad car, Hotch opened the door for Reid and stepped back as the younger man manoeuvred his injured leg and the crutches. He could see exhaustion in every line of the thin man's body. Leaving the squad in the loading zone, the officer followed them inside.

"We'll take it from here," Aaron tried to reassure the man. He didn't really like having someone following him around. It made him a little nervous. The last thing Hotch wanted was to appear unsettled in front of the stranger.

"I have very specific orders, sir. I'm to guard both of you until you return to the station," the officer said, an apologetic smile on his handsome face. Hotch looked at the man's short blond hair and bright blue eyes. Suddenly, Hotch felt very old and worn out when he looked into those overeager depths.

"Fine," Hotch growled as he and Reid made their way across the lobby toward the elevator. They were on the sixth floor. There was no way in hell that Hotch was going to climb them. As he followed Reid's limping gait, he tried to ignore the young man protecting their rear. He didn't bother to ask who'd given the man his orders. At the moment it didn't really matter.

On the sixth floor, Hotch and Reid exited first, Reid stumbling slightly on his crutches. Instinctively, Hotch reached forward and caught hold of the thin man's nearest shoulder until he got his balance back. The officer brought up the rear, quickly checking up and down the hall to make sure no one was coming up on them.

"Thanks," Reid breathed as he slowly clomped down the hallway. He averted his head, allowing his hair to partially obscure his face. Reid hated it when he blushed but he seemed to be doing it a lot lately. He hated using the crutches, especially when they caught on the edge of carpets as had just happened but he was unable to walk very far without them.

Silently, the trio made their way down the carpeted hallway. Hotch's room was the third one on the left, Reid's the fourth one on the right. Using the magnetic key card in his pocket, Hotch swiped his lock and then opened the door. Before he went inside, though, he paused and waited until Reid had opened his door and made his way inside.

As soon as the door closed, Hotch slipped the deadbolt in place. Since getting back from being kidnapped, he needed to have the doors locked at all times. It was the only way he felt safe. With a sigh, Hotch undid his jacket and carefully put it on the back of the nearest chair. Then he went to the bathroom to wash his face.

Finished, Hotch headed to the bed in the next room. He'd pulled his tie loose and slipped it over his head. Taking his holster off of his belt, Hotch placed it on the bedside table, along with his cell phone and credentials. Feeling a little more relaxed, Hotch climbed onto the bed and promptly fell asleep.

OOOOO

Entering his room, Reid locked the door handle. Suddenly exhausted beyond words, Reid leaned against the closed door and looked around his room. He was currently sharing the room with Morgan. The older man wasn't about to leave him alone at night unless it was absolutely necessary. Far too often Reid would wake Morgan in the middle of the night because he was having a nightmare. As a result, Reid and Morgan really hadn't been getting a lot of sleep since this case had started.

With great effort, Reid pushed his protesting body away from the door. Limping forward on his crutches, Spencer shucked his coat, messenger bag and shoes by the time he reached his bed. Carefully he unclipped his holster, cell phone and credentials and put them on the table between the two beds. Reid virtually collapsed onto the bed, his crutches clattering to the floor between the beds. Sighing, he tenderly lifted his injured leg onto the bed and then allowed himself to lie down. Almost before his head hit the pillow, Reid was sound asleep.

OOOOO

For a solid hour the officer stood outside the two bedroom doors. On his shoulder mike he could hear the other members of his station and what progress hadn't been made so far. His face carefully neutral, the officer silently gloated. They had absolutely no idea. Even the profilers had it wrong. He wasn't as old as they thought he should be and he certainly didn't have a delivery job. Hmmm. Well, he supposed on some level that made sense. Even if it was wrong.

The officer stood against the wall beside Reid's door, his hands behind his back. In his right hand he had a master room key. His captain had given it to him, just in case. It made things all too easy. Oh, the plans he had for the thin young agent in the room.

Carefully checking the hallway once again, the officer turned toward Reid's door and swiped his care through the lock. He was almost giddy as he saw the red light turn green. Silently, the officer opened the door and slid inside. The room was dark. The agent hadn't bothered to turn any lights on. He hadn't needed them after all.

The officer stopped at the door long enough to allow his eyes to adjust. The door had opened into a short hallway. On his right was the bathroom door, open and dark. On his left was the closet. Six feet ahead were the two beds. On the nearest one, the officer could just see two stocking clad feet. He was mildly amused by the fact that the socks didn't match.

Quiet as a cat, the officer paced down the hallway. Rounding the end of the wall that contained the bathroom, he came upon the two beds. On the bed he found the young agent, apparently sound asleep. His brown hair was splayed across his pillow while his left arm was resting across his eyes. As the officer watched, the agent took a deep breath and then seemed to settle a little deeper into sleep. At least that's what he hoped was going on.

Inching forward, the officer stared down at the young agent. He was so beautiful. All the officer could think of was how much he wanted him. How much he wanted to get inside him. The officer's father would be completely and totally disgusted by his thoughts. So would his church. But it was his father that held the most sway over his opinions, his father and his belt.

The officer was so lost in thought that he didn't really notice that Reid's right hand was straying toward his service revolver. The young agent could sense that someone was in the room with him. Fear was trying to overpower him, to make him jump out of the bed and run. But that wouldn't help. Reid knew that the person wasn't Morgan. After the time they've spent together recently, the older man knew better than to sneak up on him or to hover unannounced.

Reid's heart raced as he tried to consider his options. There weren't many at the moment. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wasn't going to let anyone kidnap him again. That had happened far too often in his career as a profiler. Moving slowly, so as to not draw attention in the darkness, Reid felt relief flow through him as his hand came to rest on his gun holster. Just as slowly, the young profiler began pulling the leather holster toward him.

Unable to ignore his impulses any more, the officer stepped toward the bed, his own weapon in his hand. Reaching down with his free hand, the officer tried to place his hand over Reid's mouth. Unfortunately, though, the young man's arm moved into the way. Before he had a chance to recover from his surprise, Reid slipped off the other side of the bed, his own weapon up and aimed.

"What do you want?" Reid demanded in a loud voice. He knew the walls of the hotel room were relatively thick but he was hoping the sound of a raised voice would draw Hotch's attention. The way Reid was crouched beside the bed at the moment was sending shooting pains through his thigh and hip. He wasn't sure how long he could stay there without succumbing to the pain.

"Ah," the officer hedged. This wasn't going right. The kid was smarter than the others he'd grabbed. Back peddling on his plan, the officer tried to come up with a plausible explanation for his being inside the room. "My superior wanted me to check on you and the other agent just to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine," Reid said his gun still aimed at the man. There was something about the officer that just wasn't sitting well. Reid wasn't sure if he was just being paranoid or if there really was something wrong with the man. "I think it's time for SSA Hotchner and I to return to the team."

"That's not necessary," the officer said. "I've been keeping abreast of the investigation and nothing new has happened since you left."

AS gracefully as he could, Reid tried to stand up. His leg and hip were killing him. As the young profiler nearly made it to an upright position, the gun never wavering, Reid's hip gave up, causing him to stumble. The sudden movement threw Reid's aim off for a fraction of a second. That was all the officer needed.

Hurling his body across the bed, the officer tackled Reid to the ground. With a sweeping motion of his own gun, he knocked Reid's gun out of his hands and felt the breath whoosh out of the smaller man's lungs as he landed on top of him. A small sound came from Reid's lips as his eyes closed against the pain flowing through his system. He was barely even aware of the fact that he wasn't breathing.

As much as the officer hated to mar Reid's beautiful face, he brought the butt of his gun down on the side of the boy's face. It was a last ditch effort to get control of the situation. And it failed miserably.

The door to Reid's room flew open and Hotch came barrelling inside, his revolver out and panning across the room. It came to rest on the officer's head. A moment of surprise flashed through Hotch's brown eyes before they narrowed in anger.

"Get off of him," Hotch ordered. He would find out what the hell was going on in a minute. Right now he needed to know that Reid was okay.

The officer pushed the barrel of his gun under Reid's chin as he physically picked the stunned younger man up and placed him on his feet. Still now completely aware of his surroundings at the moment, Reid's legs tried to go out from under him again. "He's coming with me."

"No, he's not," Hotch replied. While he carefully watched the officer, all the pieces of their current case fell into place. This was their Unsub. For reasons beyond him, he and the team had never considered a member of law enforcement. That was their first mistake. "Let him go."

"No, I don't think I will," the officer stated. He was trying to inch the stunned young man along the wall and toward the door. Reid wasn't being particularly helpful. Getting frustrated, the officer turned his attention from the senior agent to the man in his arm. At that second, Reid brought his head up and smashed the officer in the nose. Blood spurted into his hair but the move had disorientated the officer. Ignoring the pain and shock, Reid stumbled away from the man, giving Hotch a clear shot.

Within seconds, Hotch had the officer on his stomach, his hands bound behind his back and was on the cell with Morgan. As he explained the situation, he kept one eye on the officer and the other on Reid. The young profiler had retreated to the bathroom and came back out with a cold, damp cloth on his face where he'd been hit. He didn't even seem to be aware of the fact that he was limping without his crutches.

"Yeah, send medical. I think the Unsub has a broken nose and I want to get Reid's face checked out," Hotch said into his cell as he watched both men. Still holding the cloth to his face, Reid sank down into the nearest chair and heaved a sigh of relief. Well, at least he didn't get kidnapped again. That was a start.


	29. Chapter 29

_Okay, this is EXTREMELY short. I'm very, very sorry. I've been trying to work on this and my other stories but it's not going well. I find it very hard to write things this dark when getting ready for Christmas. I'm not planning on updating any of my stories until after New Years but you never know, miracles do happen! ;)_

_Once again, have a wonderful holiday season, eat too much, drink too much egg nog, have too much fun and spend too much time with family and friends! _

_See you in the New Year!!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Sitting in the hallway outside the court room, Reid fidgeted in his seat. It was taking everything he had to not jump up and run away. He didn't want to do this. He REALLY didn't want to have to walk into that room and give testimony about what Mary and her brother had done to him.

Down the hallway Reid heard footsteps. He glanced up to see the source of the sounds. Surprise passed through him as he saw Rachel being led toward him, wearing an orange prison jump suit and chains around her ankles, wrists and waist. The woman looked worn and thin compared to when he'd first met her. Automatically, Reid stood up to greet her. He made an effort to not stare at the guards on either side of her.

"Rachel, hi. How are you?" Reid asked as he awkwardly reached out his hand toward the woman. The need to give her a hug was trying to overwhelm him. He knew all ready that would only upset her and her body guards.

Rachel had been walking with her head down. Reid could almost feel the shame rolling off the woman. He got the feeling that she just wanted to get this over with and get the hell out of Dodge. He couldn't blame her at all. He was feeling something very similar.

"Hi," Rachel said once her eyes came up to look at Reid's battered face. The woman's eyes narrowed with rage and she looked at him intently. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It was work related," Reid responded, unconsciously touching the side of his face. The bruises were darker and more livid, making it look worse than it felt. Well, not really, it still hurt like hell. "It looks worse than it feels."

"Somehow I doubt that," Rachel responded. Then the shame fell back over her face and she looked away.

"How are you?" Reid repeated. Still ignoring the guards, he settled back down onto the bench. The wood was hard on his butt but it made his leg feel better. Too bad his hip didn't really agree.

Realizing that the younger man's voice had moved, Rachel looked down at him. Then she glanced at her guards, clearly asking for permission. The guard to her left, Reid now recognized him as Deputy Callen, nodded his head and helped direct her to sit beside him on the bench.

"I'm fine," Rachel responded once she was situated. Reid could tell that she was lying. She was looking at the people walking by them and the pictures on the wall, anything but at him.

"Somehow I doubt that," Reid responded, a crocked grin on his thin lips.

"Touché," Rachel said as she looked back at the younger man. It was wonderful to see him, even with the awful bruises on his face. "It's prison, not a health club. Of course I'm not great but I will survive until they release me."

"Hotch is working on getting you released early," Reid stated. He'd helped as much as he could but they still had to maintain a certain distance. They were all plaintiffs in the trial taking place right this moment beyond the doors. Absently Reid wondered how Hotch was making out.

"He doesn't have to do that," Rachel said, her eyes following to the ground. She was embarrassed by the efforts of the Unit Chief. She still harboured a great deal of shame for her part in creating the circumstances that brought Mary's dark side out. "I'm more than willing to pay for what I've done."

"You may be willing to do it, but we aren't willing to let it happen. We don't blame you for what Mary did. Her actions were her own as demonstrated by her coming after us after you were removed from the equation," Reid said, trying to get Rachel to look at him.

"I'm not sure you should be discussing the case," Deputy Callen stated. "I don't want to take a chance of Doug having a reason to appeal."

"He's right. Let's just sit here quietly until they call us," Rachel suggested. It was all she wanted. To spend some time alone, well, as alone as she could get in a hallway full of people.

"Perhaps you're right," Reid stated as he shifted in the bench. Damn he wished his hip and leg would get on the same page. Either one of the other was always complaining, it wore thin in a hurry.

OOOOO

"Agent Hotchner, when was the first time you remember seeing Mr. West?" the defence attorney asked. The court room decor was primarily done in wood. The bench, witness stand, jury box, and prosecuting and defending attorney's tables were large and chunky. Aaron thought it might be oak but he wasn't sure. The walls were covered in thick wood panels that weighed the space down. It reminded Hotch dimly of an over done hunting cabin. The lights hanging from the ceiling did little to lift the overwhelming sense of oppression in the space.

Sitting on the witness stand, Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner tried to appear outwardly calm. It wouldn't do for the jury to see just how upset sitting on the witness stand was making him. As the Unit Chief of the BAU, Aaron was accustomed to testifying. He was always able to appear calm, cool and collected. That was what the prosecuting attorney expected. It helped to instil confidence in the jury of the content of his testimony. He was very careful not to look around at the audience. He didn't want to see any familiar faces among the crowd. This was easier when he assumed he didn't know anyone.

In another life, Hotch had also been a prosecuting attorney. He knew all too well the song and dance going on all around him. Being a good lawyer was almost as much about how well you could present your witnesses as the content of what was said. The turmoil in his mind and body was very hard to hide. As a way of dealing with it, Hotch had his hands resting on his lap where the anxious twinning and releasing of his fingers would go unobserved.

"After the car accident I had difficulty seeing. I think it was a result of the head trauma I'd sustained during the accident. I can remember hearing a man's voice while I was in the back of the SUV with Deputy Callen. It was only later that I realized it was Mr. West, Mary's brother, whose voice I'd heard," Hotch stated. It was a long, convoluted answer but it was also the truth. The only way he was going to survive this situation with his sanity intact.

"When did you find out who Mr. West was?" the lawyer continued. He'd gone through the testimony with all of the prosecution witnesses and yet he knew that all of them were going to be a little shaky and possibly incoherent in places. He had carefully positioned himself to be between Hotch and Doug sitting at the defence table. From past experience he knew that it was harder on the witnesses to have to look directly at the person responsible for their suffering. Even FBI agents were not immune to the loss of power the interaction could cause.

Keeping his voice as strong as he could, Hotch continue to answer the prosecutor's questions. He maintained an outward facade of calm and collection. On the inside, though, images of what he'd felt, seen, smelled and heard raged through his mind. He reeled emotionally, occasionally losing track of what the lawyer was asking him. It was with embarrassment that he'd had to ask the man to repeat his last question, twice. Taking a deep breath, Aaron tried to concentrate on the here and now but he wasn't particularly successful. He felt like he was drowning as he struggled to function. When would this be over?

_P.S. I'm only vaguely familiar with the justice system and all of that is from watching TV. If there are mistakes here, they are entirely my own but I'm more than willing to listen to advice. I was going to go through the whole testimony thing line by line but have changed my mind. I was afraid it would become very boring and repetitive. Let me know what you think. PLEASE?????_


	30. Chapter 30

_Not my best chapter but here it is. I hope it was worth the incredible long wait!! Thank you for sticking with me. I'm back and will do better from now on. Honest!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY

The testimony continued. Time seemed to have slowed down, at least for Hotch. It was excruciating sitting in the witness chair, trying to keep everything straight in his head while his mind was in turmoil. Hotch only hoped that the jurors understood. He knew it was his responsibility to make things clear to the twelve people sitting on his left hand side. At the moment, however, he wasn't too sure of his ability to manage that.

"No more questions, your honour," the prosecution lawyer stated. He nodded at the defence attorney as he moved over to sit back down behind the prosecution table. All he could hope was that Hotch could maintain his composure as the defence began their questioning as well.

"Redirect your honour?" the defence attorney asked. From a nod from the judge, the attorney stood up and came around his desk. Absently, he taped a pen on his opposite hand.

"Do you need a break, Agent Hotchner?" the defence attorney asked as he approached the witness stand. The last thing he wanted was for the jury to feel he was unsympathetic toward one of the 'victims' in this terrible case.

"I'm fine," Hotch stated. In truth he just wanted this to be over. The last thing he was going to do was prolong the agony. He was all too aware of the fact that Reid was outside in the hallway, awaiting his turn. Hotch didn't want to take a chance of putting his young counterpart through any more than he had been all ready. Taking a deep breath, Hotch prepared himself for what was showing signs of being a very long morning.

OOOOO

"Does this usually take this long?" Rachel asked. Her head was still hanging down and Reid wasn't sure who was she was directing the question toward. But he chose to answer anyway.

"Sometimes, it varies from trial to trial," Reid hedged. He knew this was going to be hard on all of them. The fact that Hotch appeared to still be on the stand didn't bode well. As casually as he could manage, Spencer glanced at the face of his wrist watch. True to Spencer's sense of style, it was strapped on top of his shirt sleeve. It was taking too long.

"They're going to believe us, right?" Rachel persisted. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to the world that she'd allowed Doug to rape her but if it helped to demonstrate his potential for violence and depravity, she was going to do it. She owed Agent Hotchner and Dr. Reid that much.

"We're telling the truth, of course they'll believe us," Reid responded. The chances of the jury believing them over Doug were very high but it wasn't unheard of for the jury to decide against reason. It had happened before. It would undoubtedly happen again. It was all a part of being human. Sighing, Reid shifted on the wooden bench. Damn but his hip was angry with him today.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked. She'd looked up when she heard Reid shift beside her. She'd witnessed his discomfort. It was easier to worry about the younger man than to think about what they were both going to go through on the other side of that door. Besides, concern for others came very naturally for her. Rachel had the bad habit of putting other people's concerns over her own.

"I'm fine," Reid responded automatically. Then a grimace flashed across his face as his hip complained even louder.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, her head dropping again. The shame was back again. It was so intense that she found it hard to breathe around it.

"It's not your fault," Reid tried to assure her. When Rachel didn't look at him, he slipped a finger under her chin and forced her to. "None of my injuries are your fault. You need to stop hating yourself for this."

"That's easier said than done," Rachel said as her head slipped back down. She glanced at Deputy Cullen out of the corner of her eye. Despite everything, the deputy had stayed by her side and tried to help wherever and whenever he could. She knew he too was becoming frustrated by her ability to hate herself. "It's hard to stop doing something I've done most of my life."

"Well, today is as good a day as any to start," Reid said.

"Somehow today doesn't seem like the best time," Rachel said, a half smile on her face. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."

OOOOO

"Shall I repeat the question, Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner?" the defence lawyer asked, his voice saturated with patience. Only Hotch seemed to be able to detect the lack of genuine care behind it.

"Yes, please do," Aaron said. He wanted to make sure he'd heard the question properly. With all the clamouring going on in his head, he assumed he'd misheard the first time.

"Is it possible that this entire series of unfortunate events had been solely the responsibility of Mary West?"

The question hung in the air. Hotch tried to hide the disbelief that flowed through his body and mind. That was Doug's plan for his defence? He was going to blame everything on his sister? Somehow that didn't really surprise him on some level but on other levels it appalled him.

"I believe that the initial plan was her responsibility. However, Mr. West became an active participant very quickly. From what I witnessed there was no real manipulation on Mary's part," Hotch responded. He was surprised that the prosecuting attorney wasn't objecting to this line of questioning. He certainly would have.

"No real manipulation? That seems hard to believe as Ms. West created and executed the plan that resulted in Mr. West having the four of you at his disposal. Under normal circumstances the chance for this to happen would not exist," the defence attorney stated as he seemed to pace aimlessly between the jury box and the wall opposite. Hotch was very much aware of the fact that the man's path resulted in Doug being able to see him as much as possible.

A quick glance at the man and Hotch felt his blood run cold. Doug was staring at him, dark embers of a deep emotion burned in the man's eyes. Whatever Mary had helped to facilitate was still there. Doug had been shown a new possibility in life and had now embraced it. If he was allowed back on the streets, Hotch knew without hesitation that Doug would rape again and again.

"Everyone has a dark side. Most of us have the boundaries to keep the darkness at bay. The fact that Mr. West was so quickly able to broach those barriers indicates to me that it was going to happen sooner or later," Hotch stated. Again he was amazed that the prosecuting attorney was still allowing this. Hotch was many things but a licensed psychiatrist wasn't one of them. Why was he being asked these questions? What was Doug's game?

"Are you saying that Mr. West had a predilection to violent behaviour, that it was inherited?" the defence attorney asked.

"I wouldn't know," Hotch stated. He wasn't going to give the defence attorney any more ammunition to use in an appeal. This was beyond his line of work. Well, not really, but it wasn't something he was legally qualified to testify to, especially if Doug was going to try to use the insanity plea. Where was the prosecution attorney when he was needed? Unconsciously, Hotch glanced over at the prosecution table. The lawyer was staring at him. Apparently this line of questioning was a complete surprise to him as well.

"Objection, your honour, Agent Hotchner is not a Board Licensed Psychiatrist. This line of questioning is outside his line of expertise," the prosecution lawyer said as he stood up. Apparently the shock had finally worn off.

"Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner is the Unit Chief of the FBI's Behaviour Analysis Unit. He has more experience dealing with and profiling deviant people than most psychiatrists. That in itself makes him an expert," the defence lawyer responded.

"It's getting close to lunch. I think I need a little time to consider my response to your objection. We'll break until 1pm and then I will render a decision," the judge said. He pounded his gavel on the top of the huge desk. Without waiting for a response from the court, the judge stood up and left the room.

"What was that?" Hotch asked as the prosecutor walked up to him. Carefully, Hotch tried to pry his protesting body out of the too uncomfortable witness chair. His injuries had reawakened during his time on the stand. It was taking nearly every ounce of will he had to keep the pain off his face.

"I'm sorry. I should have stepped in sooner. Don't worry, the jury will see this ploy for what it is, a desperate attempt to keep from being responsible for his actions. I'm sure the judge will come back in our favour," Prosecuting attorney Ryan Blue stated.

"I hope you're right," Hotch responded as he made his way toward the door. He wanted to get the hell out of here. He'd spent too much time here all ready. With relief, he pushed through the door and stepped out into the hallway. God it was good to be out of that damned room.

With a sigh, Hotch moved over to the bench and sat down beside Rachel. It was really good to see her too but at the moment he was too drained to even acknowledge the woman's presence. Somehow, he had to find the strength to walk back into that room and continue his testimony. Resting the back of his head against the wall behind him, Hotch tried to not give into the deep, dark hole that was threatening to envelope him. Doug was not going to win. Hotch was going to make sure of that.


	31. Chapter 31

_Hello! Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about this story. I'm hoping to complete it too before starting on the sequel to 'Mary's Revenge Alternative'. It's getting a little difficult to keep up with all my stories so I'd like to get as many under control as I can before I continue the sequel. _

_I'm sorry it's been so long. I'll hopefully do better with the next chapter._

_Thanks for sticking with me!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

"After careful consideration, I've decided to sustain the objection. While SSA Hotchner is in fact very well trained in areas of criminal psychology that is not his purpose on the witness stand today. He is one of the plaintiffs, not an expert witness. Jurors, please disregard any testimony Agent Hotchner has put forth in regards to Mr. West's mental state," the judge announced after everyone had taken their seats. Nodding his head at the defence attorney, the judge settled back into his chair to watch the rest of the circus.

"We have no more questions for the agent, your honour," the defence attorney announced after a full three minutes of shuffling papers at his desk. Automatically, Hotch had watched the man, his eyes constantly sliding toward Doug. The man had resumed his position behind the defence table but the burning in his eyes hadn't abated. Whenever Hotch's eyes connected with Doug's darker ones, a shiver of revulsion passed down his spine.

"Your witness, Mr. Blue," the judge stated. Shifting in his seat, Hotch tried to find a more comfortable position while Ryan began his part of the trial.

OOOOO

"Do you go back to jail at night?" Reid asked suddenly. He'd never really considered what happened to prisoners during trials. It had never mattered to him before. Now, sitting beside a silent Rachel, it did matter to him where she was going to spend the night.

"I'm not sure," Rachel responded as she glanced over at Deputy Cullen. She'd gotten used to being a prisoner and even testifying in court but she hadn't been paying much attention to the other details of her life. She honestly didn't know.

"You'll spend the night in the precinct jail. The prison you were in before is too far away and it doesn't look like you're going to be testifying today," Deputy Cullen stated. Cautiously, he moved over to the bench beside Rachel and sat down as well. His feet were getting tired of standing and the other officer would stop Rachel if she tried to run. Besides, he didn't expect any trouble out of the woman. She had been a picture perfect prisoner thus far.

"I suppose that makes sense," Reid stated as he shifted on the bench. Finally, not being able to find a position that didn't aggravate his hip or thigh, Reid fingered the cane that was sitting beside him on the bench. He hated the damned thing but it was better than a crutch. Reid pushed his body out of the bench and began to pace a few steps back and forth. His cane made a dull thumping sound, back and forth.

"Your leg still hurts," Rachel stated. As he turned towards her, Reid saw the shame colouring her cheeks as she watched him. Once he'd gained his feet, his hip and thigh had stiffened up, resulting in a subtle limp.

"Yes," Reid stated. There was no use deigning it. He continued to pace. The longer he moved the less stiff his leg became. "My hip is still sore from the bullet Mary shot me with and my thigh is still recovering from the wound I received when Doug rammed our car."

"I'm ..." Rachel began. When she glanced up at Reid's face she swallowed the rest of the words. He didn't want her to say she was sorry. He knew that. They all knew that. "Are you back to work?"

"Yes, Hotch and I both. We were on a case just before we came back to testify," Reid stated. The change of subject was welcome. He thought for a moment there he was going to have to strangle the woman.

"That's where you got the bruises on your face," Rachel said. "You should maybe put in for hazard pay."

"Not in this economy," Reid responded, a small smile on his lips. His leg happier, he moved back to the bench. As he settled back down, he glanced once again at his watch. Desperately he hoped that he wasn't going to be on the stand this long.

OOOOO

Ryan ran Hotch through the entire event as quickly and as painlessly as he could. The longer the FBI agent was there, the older and more tired he looked. This was hell for him. The prosecutor wasn't having that much fun either. The details of what Hotch had gone through were chilling. The fact that Mary and Doug had been willing to do any of this to another human being screamed insanity plea but Ryan wanted to make sure that at least one of them paid for what had been done. Since Mary was dead, that only left Doug.

"No more questions, your honour," Ryan said as Hotch finished describing Mary's death and their rescue, at least by what he'd seen. "But we do reserve the right to recall him at a later time."

"You understand, Agent Hotchner that you will still be under oath?" the judge asked as he looked down at the dark haired man on the witness stand.

"Yes, sir," Hotch stated. Relief began to flow through his mind and body. He'd survived being on the witness stand. Now it would be Reid's turn. As he stood up to exit the hated chair, Hotch's legs threatened to dump him on his ass. Casually, so as not to draw attention to it, Hotch took hold of the wooden edge of the witness box and followed it until he felt a bit stronger.

"Are you all right, Aaron?" Ryan asked as he stepped up to the agent. The others in the court hadn't noticed his distress but Ryan had spent enough time with him of late to see it plainly.

"I'm fine," Hotch responded automatically. "I just need to sit down for a moment."

"Is there a problem, counsel?" the judge asked.

"No, sir. The defence can call their next witness," Ryan assured the court as he quickly steered Aaron to the bench behind the prosecution table. He'd kept a section of the bench there open. Aaron and the others had all ready told him that they wanted to be there to support the others after they'd given their own testimony. If he had to call any of them back it might cause problems but he honestly didn't expect to.

"Call your next witness, counsellor," the judge instructed as Aaron nearly collapsed into the bench.

"The defence would like to call Dr. Spencer Reid," the defence attorney announced.

OOOOO

"Dr. Reid?" the bailiff asked as he stepped outside the court room doors. He looked down at the thin young man sitting on the bench with the cane propped beside him. "You've been summoned."

"Oh, God," Reid breathed as he forced his protesting body up and thumped over to the propped open door.

"Good luck," Rachel called out quietly after him. She had the feeling he was going to need it. Then he was gone and she was left sitting there with Deputy Cullen and the other officer. "I wish this would all be over."

"I know," Cullen responded. He too was going to have to testify. That was part of the reason he was here. The other part was to be here for Rachel and the others. During their time in captivity, he'd developed a real bond with all of them. "Soon."

"Not soon enough," Rachel said as she looked back over at the doors.

OOOOO

The defence was brutal, just as Reid had expected them to be. He was able to distance himself from what was being asked and answer the questions as concisely and honestly as possible. Ryan had done an excellent job of prepping them all for their testimony. It should have been relatively easy, well, as easy as admitting to the world what had been done to them. But Reid's eyes kept getting drawn toward Hotch sitting in the front row.

Hotch was used to having a certain detachment from what was going on around him. It made him an expert investigator and Unit Chief. Some people thought that he was that cold in all aspects of his life and didn't blame his wife for leaving him. Those people that knew him well, however, knew that it was a necessary evil to perform his job as well as he did. Listening to Reid recount the events had shattered his ability to maintain that distance.

As Spencer recounted the abuse, he could have sworn he saw tears in his boss's eyes. That simple fact, that Hotch would find what Spencer had been through that much worse than anything he himself had suffered was Reid's undoing.

"Doctor Reid?" the defence attorney asked. Startled, Reid tore his eyes away from Aaron's and turned his attention back toward the man standing a few feet in front of him. Blinking rapidly, Reid tried to get his own tears under control. He wasn't entirely successful.

"I'm sorry. What was the question?" Reid asked, trying to mask how distracted he actually was.

As the defence attorney repeated the question, he paced by the defence table. Automatically watching the attorney, Reid's eyes were drawn to Doug. The man was sitting forward in his chair, his arms resting on the table in front of him. His face was a mask of concentration as he listened to every word the young doctor said. It was only sitting directly in front of him, though, that allowed Reid to see the lust burning in the man's eyes. The jurors couldn't see it from the angle they were at. Fear began to gnaw at Reid's stomach.

The line of questioning mystified him. The defence was trying to paint the picture of Doug being an unwitting accomplice. That he wouldn't have ever done the things he'd done if it weren't for his sister. That she had lured him into it and that his genetic predisposition, as evidenced by Mary's nature, had been too much for him to ignore.

Surely the jurors could see through the smoke screen the defence attorneys were trying to create? Having testified at enough trials, Reid knew that the jury of their peers didn't always reach the right verdict, despite what all the evidence said. There was a natural mistrust of science and the police after too many years of corruption and shoddy work from labs. Reid knew the statistics and he wasn't sure he blamed them. It made convicting criminals much harder than it should be.

Blinking still, Reid continued to answer the questions. Most of them made his skin crawl. He didn't want to remember it. It didn't want to internalize everything that had been done to him. Reliving it was making it that much harder to manage that.

"Dr. Reid. Are you on drugs?" the defence attorney asked suddenly. He'd seen the young man struggling to control his tears. He could see the moisture on the bottom lashes of his eyes. He also knew that the jurors couldn't see any of these things from where they were. To them, he was just blinking a lot. The defence attorney was more than willing to use this to his advantage.

"Excuse me?" Reid asked instinctively. The question had stunned him.

"You have abused drugs in the past, have you not?" the defence attorney asked as he moved to his table. He began to shuffle papers on the table, as if he were looking for something. The end result was that Reid's eyes were riveted on Doug, just as he'd intended. "You are under oath, Dr. Reid. Please respond to the question."

"Objection!!" Ryan demanded as he surged to his feet. He'd known about Reid's substance abuse problem but had hoped the defence did not. It wasn't anywhere in Reid's performance reports at the FBI, it couldn't be. Acknowledging the problem would stall the young doctor's career even though he'd all ready dealt with it. "This line of questioning is completely unnecessary. If the defence attorney wants to know Dr. Reid's drug status, he could ask for a urine sample. What does this have to do with what happened?"

"It goes toward the reliability of the witness, your honour," the defence attorney stated.

"Objection overruled," the judge responded as he looked down at the young doctor. "But I'm keeping you on a short leash. Walk this mine field carefully, counsellor. You must answer the question, Dr. Reid."

Reid's eyes were drawn away from Doug, who had a self satisfied air about him, over to Hotch. What would the answer to this question to do his career? Would Strauss take him off the BAU? The questions were academic. He was under oath and had to answer truthfully.

"Yes, I have," Reid said, his voice as strong as he could manage when he felt his whole world spinning out of control around him.

"Are you currently on drugs? I've noticed that you are blinking a lot," the defence attorney stated.

"No, I am not," Reid stated. He was trying to stay in control. So far he'd managed it but he wasn't sure how much longer he could manage it. A noise at the back of the court room drew his attention from the defence attorney. Glancing up, he saw Emily, Rossi and Morgan striding down the aisle between the two banks of benches. They'd finally returned after dealing with all the paperwork, etc from their last case. They'd come directly from the air port and looked a little tired and rumpled.

As quietly as the BAU members could manage, they took the only seats that were currently available, beside Hotch. Nodding their encouragement, Reid felt them sending him all their support. As he watched, Emily took Hotch's nearest hand in hers and simply held it.

"With all your supposed injuries, you have not taken any drugs at all?" the defence attorney demanded, swinging around to face the young man on the stand.

"I've been on antibiotics and Tylenol," Reid answered. "I would not allow the doctors to give me anything else."

"Well, clearly the pain couldn't have been that bad, clearly you weren't nearly as badly injured as you are professing to be," the defence attorney pushed.

"Objection, your honour," Ryan said as he once again surged to his feet. "Whether or not Dr. Reid took strong pain killers does not determine the extent of his injuries. The defence has all ready called doctors to attest to the extent of all the injuries inflicted on the plaintiffs by Mr. West and his sister. The injuries are not in dispute."

"Sustained," the judge stated. "You've reached the end of your leash, counsellor. Please begin a new line of questioning."

"I have no more questions for this witness, your honour," the defence attorney stated as he moved around the defence table and plopped down into his seat. That hadn't gone quite as well as he'd hoped but it certainly should put the seed of doubt into the jurors' minds. He hoped.

"Your witness, Mr. Blue," the judge stated. It was only three o'clock. There was lots of time for the prosecutor to begin questioning. Whether they finished with this witness today was yet to be seen.

Coming around the prosecution table, Mr. Blue paused, to give Reid time to recover from the defence's attack. Then they began again.


	32. Chapter 32

_Hi. This one is coming fast and hard too now so I'm hoping to have it finished in the next couple of days. I don't know how much longer I can keep the angst up without it turning to whining. It's such a fine line. _

_I hope you enjoy it!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

As much as Rachel preferred to spend time on her own, the waiting was worse once Reid was gone. She wasn't sure if it was because she was worried about him and what the defence lawyer was putting him through or if it was apprehension about what she was going to have to face. Absently, she rubbed her sweaty palms on the pants of her jump suit. It didn't really seem to help much.

Suddenly extremely jittery, Rachel climbed to her feet despite the chains and began to pace in a small circle. The other guard moved to stop her but Deputy Cullen shook his head at him. He too was beginning to have jitters about going on the witness stand. He really wished he could hear Rachel's testimony before his because he wasn't sure if she was going to admit to anyone about what Doug had done to her. Most rape victims weren't willing to go on record about it, even under these strange circumstances.

"Are you okay?" Cullen asked as he watched the woman continue to do donuts in the court house hallway. Suddenly, Rachel stopped and went in the other direction. From the slight stagger she made, evidently the small circuit was making her dizzy.

"I just want this to be over with. My cell back in the prison is starting to look pretty good," Rachel responded as she continued to pace. She had to make the conscious decision to turn and go in the other direction otherwise she did in fact become dizzy. While it was fun as a child, as an adult it resulted in a severe wave of nausea.

"It'll be over soon," Cullen tried to reassure her. "Whether they find him guilty or innocent, after this we get to go on with our lives."

"Yeah, and I have so much to look forward to," Rachel muttered. Realizing what she'd said, Rachel stopped moving. "I didn't mean that. I'd rather be in prison then the alternative. At least I'll be able to walk in the woods and swim in the lakes once this is all over."

OOOOO

"Thank you, Dr. Reid," Ryan said as he moved away from the young man in the witness stand. "We have no more questions for this witness, your honour."

The judge glanced at his watch. "It's 4:30 pm. I think we should adjourn for the day and begin with a new witness at 9:30 am."

Quietly the court room began to empty. Reid was still sitting on the witness stand. He was feeling extremely weak now that it was over. Relief had zapped every ounce of energy he'd had. Before it came back to him, Morgan was there, standing beside him and taking his cane from him.

"I think it's time for a stiff drink," Morgan stated as he gently manhandled his young colleague to his feet and steered him toward the gate leading to the gallery.

"Several would be nice," Reid replied, a weary lop-sided grin on his face. He knew Derek was perfectly capable of picking him up and carrying him anywhere they needed to go. He was grateful that Derek didn't do that. The last thing he needed was to feel helpless again.

"After this, I'm buying," Rossi said as he stood back to let Hotch stand up. Even the Unit Chief was feeling very tired. It was relief, he knew but it was still disconcerting.

"You're on," Emily said. "I'll call J.J. and Garcia." Casually, she left the court room, pulling her cell out of her jacket pocket.

"Where are J.J. and Penelope?" Hotch asked as he let Reid and Morgan move by them down the aisle. He figured it was better to let Reid set the pace. It would be one he could keep up with.

"Strauss insisted some of us return to the office. They offered while the rest of us wanted to be here," Rossi said. He was bringing up the rear. He didn't want to take a chance that Hotch would lag behind. The emotional exhaustion was bad enough, add to that physical issues and he was amazed that both men were still on their feet.

"Was that Rachel I saw out in the hallway when we came in?" Rossi asked Hotch as his friend and Unit Chief struggled down the large stone steps at the front of the court house. Cautiously, he slipped a hand under Hotch's nearest elbow to make sure he didn't fall. The other man's frailty was beginning to unnerve him.

"Yes. She will be testifying tomorrow I'd imagine," Hotch responded. At the bottom of the steps, he followed Morgan as he led the way to the nearest bar, conveniently across the street.

"How many other people is the defence going to call?" Rossi asked. He was trying to distract Hotch. He knew the dark haired man would be cursing himself for his own weakness. The last thing Hotch needed help was his ability to loath himself.

"I'm not sure," Hotch said. Being a witness, he wasn't kept abreast of what the lawyers were planning to do. He knew that at least one psychiatrist would be called to testify as to Doug's mental state and that Deputy Cullen and Rachel would have to testify about what had been done to them. Beyond that it was anyone's guess. It depended on how well or badly the defence lawyer thought the trial was going.

Morgan, Emily and Reid were crossing the street at the cross walk. The light turned red so Hotch and Rossi had to wait for it to run through its cycle. Standing on the curb, Hotch looked at his surroundings for the first time. It was then he noticed that Dave and Jared were jaywalking a short distance down the street on an intercept course. They met the three agents before they stepped into the bar.

It seemed to take forever for the lights to come around again. Finally, Rossi nudged Hotch slightly as the crossing light indicated they could go again. So intent on watching Reid and the others, Hotch had missed it changing. As he stepped off the curb and allowed Rossi to direct him, Hotch continued to watch the five people at the bar entrance. Jared and Dave seemed to be arguing with Morgan.

"This really isn't a great idea," Jared was saying as Hotch and Rossi finally joined them. Behind Morgan, who was standing with the door open, Hotch could see that the interior of the bar was all ready pretty crowded despite the early hour. Maybe he was right. Claustrophobia was threatening to overtake Hotch just from looking inside.

"Is there some place quieter we could go that's close?" Hotch asked. He leaned a little harder against Rossi without realizing it. His body was giving in to the exhaustion.

"Yes," Dave responded. He took the cane that Morgan had been carrying and handed it to Reid. Then he took a position on the opposite side of the young man and turned him away from the bar. "It'll be easier to talk."

Within minutes they were at a small diner. Hotch and Reid sank thankfully into the seats along the wall. While there wouldn't be any drinks served here, at the moment food seemed like a better idea anyway. Quickly, a waitress brought them menus as the rest of them settled into chairs.

"This isn't exactly what I'd had in mind," Derek growled quietly as he sat in a chair opposite Reid. Jared had made sure to position himself beside the young doctor, almost protectively. Reid chose to ignore the connotations. At the moment he didn't mind feeling a little protected. It helped to quell the fear that he made a mistake while on the stand. Reid wasn't accustomed to doubting himself. It was a sensation he hoped to never feel again.

"That's okay," Dave said as he settled in beside Hotch. He was feeling a little protective of the older man too. Both of them had been through hell today. Dave was just glad that they weren't dragging Jared and Matt into this trial as well. The judge had decided to not pursue the charges because Mary was dead and couldn't mount a proper defence. He was also currently considering Rachel's sentence but hadn't reached a decision on that one yet. Hotch had the feeling he was going to listen to her testimony against Doug before doing that. "Food was probably a better idea anyway."

OOOOO

The brothers spent the night with Reid. They'd been later than they'd planned after doing a bounty hunt. Otherwise, they would have been in the court room to support their friend. Jared slept on the couch while Dave had built a bed out of blankets and had taken a position on the floor in the living room. They'd gotten into the habit of switching between the floor in the bed. Neither of them was getting any younger and the floor was damned hard.

Part way through the night Jared was awakened by a loud noise. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he looked around the dark room, trying to find the source. The only other person in the room was his brother, snoring quietly a few yards away. Then the sound came again. Sitting bold upright, Jared threw his covers off and sprinted for the bedroom.

By the light of the small lamp beside Reid's bed, Jared made out the young genius's face. It was contorted with pain and fear and yet his eyes were tightly closed. The sound had been a loud moan. Reid was having a nightmare.

Padding into the room, Jared reached the side of the bed. As gently as he could, he reached out to the boney shoulder and shook it. The sounds Reid was making was heart wrenching. Clearly testifying at the trial had brought it all back, like it was yesterday. A gentle shaking didn't do anything. The only response he got was Reid trying to pull away from him and curl up into a fetal position.

"Spencer!" Jared called as he grabbed hold again and shook harder.

Shaking like a leaf and sputtering, Reid came awake with a start. He sat up in bed and looked around frantically, expecting to see Doug and Mary hovering over him. In his distressed state, he didn't immediately recognize Jared. Giving a strangled cry, he tried to pull away from the strong hand holding him. His left arm was reaching for his gun sitting on the night table beside the lamp.

"Spencer, its Jared. You're okay. Take it easy," Jared said as he moved closer to the lamp so the light fell on his face. Taking a heaving breath, Reid sank back down on the bed, tears flowing silently down the sides of his face to be absorbed by his pillow. "It was just a dream."

"Not just a dream," Reid responded, his voice hoarse and broken. "I was remembering what happened."

"I know. There's one thing you have to remember, Spencer," Jared said as he settled on the bed beside the thin young man.

"What's that?" Reid asked trying to ignore the shame that was trying to descend on him. He hated that Jared had seen him at his most vulnerable. Twice.

"While your memories are intense and graphic, you have to remember that you've survived them all ready. No matter how terrible and overwhelming they seem, they can't hurt you anymore. You're all ready been there, done that. You've survived them once, you can survive them as many times as you need to until they go away," Jared said feeling like a self help book. The concept of what he was telling Reid was the one thing he'd been able to hold onto after his own experiences with Mary. It had helped him deal with the dreams and emotions that had followed. He just hoped it would help Reid too.

Reid sat silently for several seconds while he digested the information. He'd heard it before in some shape or form but coming from Jared, one of the people who'd been there with him in that hell hole it somehow made more sense. He was right. He'd all ready survived it all. The dreams were just shadows that came back to try to haunt him once in a while. Feeling stronger, Reid wiped the tears off his face.

"Thank you," Reid said. His eyes were fluttering, trying to slam shut on him. He felt so very tired and there was only five hours until the trial started again. While he was done testifying, he wanted to be there for Rachel. He knew being there would also help him deal with things as well. Dr. Heinz would be proud.

"Any time," Jared responded. He stayed sitting on the bed and waited until Reid was sound asleep. Then he returned to his sofa. The morning was going to come early enough. He wasn't looking forward to being in court but at least Mary wasn't there. He took a great deal of comfort from that fact. Slowly, the world faded away.

OOOOO

The morning had been gruelling. The defence attorney had called Rachel to the witness stand. He'd decided to leave Deputy Cullen until last because he'd only been there part way through the whole situation. The woman sitting in the witness stand kept looking at her hands and mumbling when he asked her questions. That suited him just fine. The jurors could take her actions one of two ways. Either she was so ashamed that she couldn't face anyone with what she'd done. Or she was lying. The defence lawyer didn't care which option they chose. He could work with either one of them.

At the moment, the lawyer was getting Rachel to recount what had happened upstairs between Doug and her. As per usual, Rachel's head was down and he'd had to ask her to repeat her answers on more than one occasion. After describing the rape, the lawyer stopped her.

"Am I to understand, Ms. Dunn that you are saying that Mr. West took you against your will and raped you?" the lawyer asked. He'd seen the look of shock on Agent Hotchner's and Dr. Reid's faces when she revealed what had happened. Clearly, she'd never told them.

"Yes," Rachel said her voice small. She was staring intently at her hands in her lap. The defence lawyer could see that she was wringing them.

"When Mr. West described this event to me he had a very different take on it. He told me that you had asked him to do it, that you were a willing participant in the sexual act. Are you now changing that story?" the defence attorney pushed. He'd moved out of the way so Mary could see Doug's face. Doug was looking a little self-satisfied at the moment.

"I did it so he wouldn't rape the others," Rachel said, her head coming up for the first time. She'd finally figured out where the lawyer was going with this. Doug was trying to blame the rape on her. The audacity of the claim was bringing a new emotion to the fore. She was losing her fear and shame while rage was taking its place.

"Is Mr. West gay?" the defence attorney asked.

"No," Rachel responded without hesitation. She knew from her childhood that the man preferred women or at least little girls. Maybe that was why the two men appealed to him. With their shirts off they looked remarkably like a prepubescent girl. The rage boiled a little hotter.

"Then why would you fear for the others in captivity? The only other woman there was Mary. Surely you weren't trying to protect her?" the defence attorney hissed. He was enjoying this a little too much. As casually as he could manage, he looked toward the agents sitting in the front row. Reid looked positively sick while Hotchner looked like he was ready to rip Doug's head off.

"I'd seen it in his eyes.." Rachel began. She didn't get the chance to finish the thought because the defence attorney cut her off.

"Are you psychic? Are you a mind reader? How could you possibly know what was on Mr. West's mind?"

"I've seen that look before," Rachel stated, still facing the man. "I'd seen it when I was little. Before Doug would try to touch me, to get me to take my clothes off."

Noise erupted in the gallery. Doug's brothers were yelling at Rachel, calling her a liar. Others in the gallery were shocked. The agents in the front row sat silently. There wasn't anything they could say at this point to make it better.

"Order! Order!" the judge yelled as he banged his gavel.

"Objection your honour!" the defence attorney shouted above the din while the bailiffs tried to calm the gallery down. "There is no report of any form of inappropriate behaviour between Mr. West and Ms. Dunn. The jury should be instructed to ignore her last statement."

"The defence opened that door, your honour," Ryan said as he too reached his feet. "She merely stepped through it."

"Objection sustained. Ms. Dunn, please refrain from discussing anything that does not relate to the events in the house," the judge ordered. "Jurors, you are to disregard any mention of previous abuse on the plaintiff. It is not relevant to what is being tried here."

The following two hours were less eventful as the defence continued to walk Rachel through the events. He badgered her, resulting in Ryan trying to object but the judge always overruled. The agents were left with a foul taste in their mouths. Reid and Hotch were still reeling from the disclosure of what the woman had done to protect them. But finally, the defence had milked it for all it was worth and it was now the prosecution's turn.

"Do you need a break?" Ryan asked as he walked up to the witness stand. Rachel was looking a little harried but stronger than she had upon first sitting down. Now she looked Ryan in the eye, as well as the jurors and Doug. She wasn't willing to back down any more.

"No, I'm fine," Rachel responded even though all she really wanted to do was to run from the room and go hide in her jail cell.

"I'm not going to ask you to relive everything that happened, Ms. Dunn. I would simply like to clarify a few points. Did you want to have sex with Mr. West?" Ryan asked. He kept his voice as gentle as he could. The defence attorney had brutalized the woman enough. He didn't want to add to it.

"No. I didn't want him to touch me. Ever," Rachel responded. Her voice was stronger now too. Looking into her brown eyes, Ryan saw the anger smouldering there. Good.

"Then why did you allow it?"

"Because I felt I had to. Otherwise he was going to do it to the agents. I couldn't allow that," Rachel responded.

"Both of those men were trained federal agents. Weren't they capable of defending themselves from unwanted advances?" Ryan asked. He didn't want the jurors to have any doubts in their minds that what had transpired was in fact rape.

"No. Mary had made sure of that. The more damaged and weak the agents became, the more the lust burned in Doug's eyes. I caused all of this, it was the least I could do," Rachel said. Her eyes strayed to Hotch and Reid. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She'd never wanted them to know about what she'd allowed to happen.

"You blame yourself for the abduction of the two federal agents and the deputy sheriff?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. I took Matt when he was unable to defend himself. If I hadn't done that, Mary might have never developed the urges that came out," Rachel said. She was surprised the defence was letting her talk about the tunnels. That wasn't part of this trial.

"Did you ever hurt or touch Matt or any of the others?"

"I gave Matt medicine to keep him groggy but I never hurt him or the others," Rachel said, her voice low again. Her head had dropped as she admitted to what she'd done. "Mary gave me stronger drugs to give them once there was more than just Matt but I only used them a few times. I didn't want to take the chance of permanent damage from them so I stopped after two doses, I think."

"Objection, your honour. Ms. West is not on trial here. She is not here to mount a defence. Anything that transpired in the tunnels or before is not within this trial's purvue," the defence attorney said as he gained his feet. He'd wanted the jurors to hear just how twisted Mary had been. But he had to mount a token objection because it really wasn't part of this trial.

"Objection sustained. Do you have any further questions for this witness, Mr. Blue?" the judge asked.

"No, sir. I do not," Ryan stated.

"We will break for lunch. At 1:30pm the defence will call its next witness," the judge said as he banged his gavel.

As the gallery and jurors left the room, the second deputy moved up to Rachel. He replaced her shackles and directed her out of the witness stand. Now that her testimony was over, she was going back to prison. Deputy Cullen had to remain behind because he still had to testify. The agents remained in their seats, Dave and Jared sitting beside Reid. As the deputy ushered Rachel through the gate and down the aisle, Hotch stood up.

"May I have a moment to speak with her?" Aaron asked the deputy.

"Only a minute, sir. I have to get her back," the deputy said. Knowing she wasn't going anywhere, he took two steps back to allow them some privacy.

"I'm sorry," Aaron said as he looked down at the woman. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around what she'd done. How could she? What would have happened if she hadn't? The implications were chilling. "I had no idea."

"It's okay," Rachel said, her brown eyes moving up to meet his. "I was hoping you'd never know. It's okay. It doesn't matter."

"No, it isn't okay. Yes, it does matter," Hotch said. He wanted to give her a hug but he knew he couldn't. First of all the deputy might put him in irons, secondly, the members of his team would start to wonder about his mental state.

"I have to go. I hope they send him to jail for a very long time. Just not to my jail," Rachel said a small smile on her face. Then she turned and allowed her escort to lead her away.


	33. Chapter 33

_Yay! I told you this one was coming fast and hard too. I'm hoping to finish it before 'The Scavengers' won't be ignored any more. There's only so much room in this brain and I do need it for other things too. I think._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. It's short but again it seemed like the best place to stop._

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

The next witness the defence called was Deputy Cullen. Sitting on the bench, Hotch felt his skin crawl as the deputy related the same story but by his point of few. Beside him, Hotch could feel Reid shifting around in his seat as well. The young genius's hip and thigh weren't cooperating today. There were also dark circles under his brown eyes. Hotch had the suspicion that Spencer had slept almost as well as he had.

Hotch didn't think it was possible but his dreams had taken an even darker turn. Now instead of seeing what might have happened between Doug, Reid and himself, the Unit Chief saw what had happened to Rachel. The images were deeply disturbing. They'd kept him up most of the night. And listening to the details from Cullen's point of view wasn't helping much.

Beside him, Reid could feel Jared practically vibrating. He hated this. Hearing what had happened before they'd gotten there. He felt responsible as much as Morgan did. It wasn't necessarily logical but it was how he felt. The need to get the hell out of this room, to run far away tried to overwhelm him. Taking a deep breath, Jared willed it away. He wasn't going to abandon Reid. He wasn't even going to abandon Hotchner for that matter.

"This sucks," Dave growled beside Jared. He tried to burn a hole in the back of Doug's head with his eyes. Naturally, it didn't work. Well, it was worth a try. At this point he wished he could have met Doug in a dark alley with no witnesses. The scum wouldn't have made it out of there alive.

"You said it," Jared agreed. Reid shifted again. He was clearly uncomfortable. Jared felt the need to protect the young genius. He knew that too was illogical. After all, Spencer was a federal agent, trained to protect himself and others. There was no reason to feel protective and yet he did. He knew from the way Dave was acting that he shared the instinct.

The defence was done with Deputy Cullen, after trying to paint the same picture. Doug was shameless, passing all responsibility onto his sister. It would work too, if the jury was gullible enough because Mary wasn't here to defend herself. Hotch was actually grateful that Mary wasn't here. He was grateful that Rachel had killed her. Otherwise, he would have had to finish the job.

The animosity was rolling off Morgan in waves. Rossi too was having trouble hiding his dislike of the man sitting placidly at the defence bench. Rather than listen to the testimony, Morgan was amusing himself visualizing ways to kill the man. It was a healthy outlet for his aggression. He hoped.

It didn't take Ryan long to finish questioning Cullen. There were only a few key points he wanted to make sure the jury heard without the defence's twist on it.

"No more questions, your honour," Ryan said as he returned to his seat.

"All right, we will reconvene tomorrow morning. Court adjourned," the judge said as he banged his gavel.

"Thank God!" Dave said as he surged to his feet. That was enough sitting still for a while. Turning to his brother, he waited for Jared to help Reid to his feet. "What do you guys do for entertainment around here?"

OOOOO

"Are you sure about this?" Morgan asked as he looked at Reid. The noise reverberating around them was almost deafening. Placing his coat on the plastic bench, Reid gingerly settled his still unhappy hip in place. Leaning forward, he slipped his cane under the chair.

"I'm fine, Derek. You'd better get ready or they'll start without you," Reid said once he was settled. The lights and noise were almost overwhelming. But there was a lot of room and the place wasn't particularly packed. Somehow this seemed like the right place to be.

"I'm not exactly dressed for bowling," Prentiss said as she came down to the bench area, colourful rented shoes in her hand.

"That's okay," Dave responded as he joined the trio. "There is no dress code here."

Jared, Rossi and Hotch brought up the rear. The first two had shoes but Hotch didn't. While he wanted to be here to watch, he wasn't feeling up to throwing a 12 pound ball down the lane. The benches were just as comfortable as the ones in the court room but Hotch didn't mind as much as he sat down beside Reid. The young genius wasn't up to bowling either.

"Okay. What are the teams?" Dave asked as he sat down at the computer to enter their names. It had seemed like a silly idea for all of two heart beats. Then Dave decided that getting out and having fun was probably the best thing for all of them. It would help to dispel some of his pent up energy and give them all something else to think about instead of the trail.

A brief argument followed. Rossi offered to drop out and let the four younger people play FBI against Bounty Hunters. Instead, they called Garcia. It was after hours, she could break the tie. In the end, Garcia chose to play with the brothers.

For the first twenty minutes, Reid had to force himself to not flinch as the balls hit the pins. The crashing was loud and sudden. The people around them were loud and having fun but that too was distressing. He was grateful for Hotch's steady presence beside him. Then Garcia arrived. They'd started bowling without her and now she had to catch up. Watching the blond woman bowl began to draw Reid out of his shell. He couldn't help but laugh as she went down the approach, the ball clutched in both hands. Bending over, she bowled between her legs. The image was priceless.

"How are you?" Hotch called into his ear. Since the hotel, he hadn't had much time to catch up with Reid, to see how he was doing. This seemed like the least likely place to do that. That was part of its charm.

"Fine," Reid answered automatically as he drew his eyes away from the antics of the bowlers. He doubted very much that they actually bowled this badly in real life but he appreciated the effort to distract them. Bringing his eyes around to look at his boss, Reid took in his appearance for the first time in days. Hotch looked tired, and old, and drained. Reid had thought he looked bad in the mirror this morning, Hotch looked even worse.

"You don't look fine, Spencer," Hotch said. The noise of the other alleys and even of the bowlers on their alleys helped to cover up their conversation. Hotch wasn't sure that that hadn't been part of Dave's plan. The kid was good.

That gave Reid pause. Hotch wasn't looking for platitudes. He really wanted to know. It would be better than talking to Dr. Heinz. At least Hotch knew exactly where he was coming from. Taking a deep breath, he plunged in. "I have dreams, nightmares really. It makes it really hard to sleep well."

"I know," Hotch said as he sat back in the bench. It gave his side a chance to rest. It also took pressure off the brand on his abdomen. Mary couldn't have placed that in a worse location, everything rubbed on it. "With time they will pass."

"I know. Not sleeping makes it harder to deal with all of this, especially the trial. I know the unsub is trying to put up a plausible defence to create reasonable doubt but I hate listening to it," Reid said, shifting on his coat. It had seemed like a good idea but it was actually creating new and improved pressure points.

"It's like a train wreck, it's very hard to look away even though you know what's going to happen," Hotch stated. The dream was bad, reality wasn't a whole lot better.

"How long until it gets better?" Reid asked, a half smile on his lips. He knew Hotch didn't have an answer. Neither of them did. He wasn't even sure Dr. Heinz had the answer to that one, but it felt better to have asked. This would never be 'normal' again. Mary and Doug had made sure of that. But, eventually, they wouldn't suck quite so much.

"Not soon enough," Hotch replied a similar smile on his own face. They'd survived. That was going to have to be enough for a while. When it wasn't enough anymore, they'd get better. Tomorrow was another day. At least they had that day to look forward to.


	34. Chapter 34

_Hi. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I absolutely love getting them. I do have to defend calling Doug an 'Unsub'. It was their way of distancing from Doug and what he'd done. It was a defence mechanism for them and for me. ;) _

_This chapter is pretty long. I am getting close to the end, honest. One or two more chapters should do it. The court scene got a little out of my depth. I hope it doesn't suck too much._

_Thanks for reading and especially for reviewing!!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

The defence wasn't done yet. The next people they called to the stand were a series of psychiatrists, trying to write off Doug's culpability in anything that had transpired. It was his parents' fault, it was his sister's fault, it was Hotch and Reid's fault, anyone but himself. For the right amount of money, the 'doctors' would say whatever they wanted them to.

Listening to the nonsense the psychiatrists were spouting, Hotch wondered where the West brothers had gotten the money. The number of 'expert' witnesses the defence was parading through here was an unbelievable amount of cash. Something else might be going on here but the Unit Chief couldn't quite figure it out.

Beside him, Hotch could feel Morgan vibrating like a violin string. The younger agent was having a harder time hiding his impatience at the obvious lies being played out in front of them. Glancing beyond Morgan and Rossi, Hotch looked at Reid. After the talk the night before, he wasn't quite as concerned about the young genius but there was still cause for worry.

Sitting beside Jared, Reid was listening intently to the testimony. There was something about the intensity of the younger man's face that gave Hotch hope. Reid wasn't internalizing what was being said, he was analyzing it, looking for patterns. That was more like the Reid Hotch was used to dealing with. Turning his attention back to the psychiatrist, Hotch tried to do the same.

Once the defence was done, Blue tried to run interference, to debunk the nonsense they had been spouting. Despite his best efforts, Ryan was afraid the jurors might have bought it, at least enough to cause some doubt. That was what the defence was hoping for.

Half way through the afternoon came the moment they'd all been dreading. The defence lawyer called his next witness, Doug West.

OOOOO

"Now, Mr. West, a lot has been said during this trial. I'd like to hear your side of these events," the defence attorney said. "When did you first become aware of your sister's flight from the authorities?"

"I didn't know about that until we were taken into custody at the farm house. Mary showed up at my door out of the blue. She was very angry. She told me that my kid brother Danny was dead. She said that the FBI had killed him for no reason," Doug said.

"What was your reaction to this news?"

"I was angry! Danny was harmless. He wouldn't have hurt anyone. He certainly didn't deserve to be gunned down like an animal," Doug growled, glaring at the FBI agents in the front row.

Beside him, Hotch heard Derek snort. Clearly he didn't agree with Doug's estimation of his brother.

"Did Mary tell you anything about the circumstances surrounding your brother's death?"

"Just that the FBI shot him. She said that Agent Hotchner was responsible. She got so angry when she talked about it that I didn't want to question her further. She was kind of scary when she was that angry," Doug said trying to look frightened at the prospect. Morgan snorted again, joined by Dave at the far end of the bench.

"What did Mary tell you about her plan for the agents?"

"She didn't really talk about it. I thought that the farm house was going to be for us to hold out in until the heat died down. Like I said, she got really mad when she talked about it so I just didn't ask," Doug said still trying to look as innocent as he was capable of.

Sitting beside Reid, Jared felt a tremor pass through the young genius's lean frame. He wasn't able to stay objective when Doug was sitting on the witness stand, staring at him and Hotch. The tremor was followed by another one. Casually, Jared lifted his right arm and placed it along the top of the bench. He slipped his hand onto Reid's far shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He wanted to make sure Spencer stayed in the here and now, not what had happened to him before.

The contact disrupted yet another tremor. Almost sighing in relief, Reid sat back, allowing Jared's arm to warm his back where it made contact. Blinking, Reid dragged his mind out of the basement of the farm house to what nonsense Doug was spewing now. Jared left his arm where it was. When Rossi turned and looked at him from the other side of Reid, Jared just nodded and turned back to the action. Think what they may, his only concern was helping Reid and Hotch, for that matter, get through this.

"Your sister was quite a bit smaller than you. Why did you do what she said? Surely you knew that whatever it was it was going to be illegal."

"Mary was my sister. I would do anything she said. It doesn't matter whether it's illegal or not," Doug responded.

"When did you know that Mary wanted you to ram the vehicle the FBI agents were in?" The defence attorney was standing on the side of the witness stand between Doug and the judge. He wanted to make sure that the jurors could see all of his client's facial expressions. He was hoping it would garner Doug some sympathy.

"When she phoned me. She'd told me to park the SUV on the logging road in the trees so it couldn't be seen and then wait for her to call. I sat there for a long time. Then she called, said to gun the engine that the car would be passing in front of me in a matter of seconds. She told me to push it all the way to the other side of the highway and to keep going as far as I could."

"And you did it?"

"Of course. Mary told me to and I thought doing this would help her get rid of some of her anger. It was turning her into a very ugly person," Doug said. He glanced at the jurors, trying to convey his concern for his sister.

"Once you struck the vehicle, pushed it across the road and stopped. What happened then?"

"Mary pulled up in the car she'd been following them in. I climbed out of the one I'd been driving. We walked over to the police car and looked inside. Then Mary told me she wanted to take Agent Hotchner with us. I couldn't believe it but the look on her face kept me from questioning it. She looked like she was possessed or something."

"How did the others wind up being taken as well?"

"I got Hotchner out and then Mary told me she wanted the others as well. I didn't know what she wanted to do with them. It didn't make any sense. But I was all ready in too deep so I did what she said," Doug said. He was still trying to look like the innocent party.

Spencer wasn't feeling very well. The images of the crash were coming back to him. His leg burned with angry pain. The room suddenly felt very hot and close. He dragged his brown eyes away from the beast on the stand and tried to concentrate on something else for a while. As interesting as Ryan Blue was, the back of his head couldn't hold Reid's attention. His stomach convulsed. Swallowing quickly, Reid managed to keep from throwing up.

The trembling was back, with a vengeance. Concerned, Jared turned in his seat to get a better look of Reid's face. The young man was pale with a slight green tinge to his cheeks. His eyes were wide and glazed. "Come on," Jared said as he quietly stood up and pulled the still shaking Reid up with him.

As Reid and Jared made their way to the aisle, the other people on their bench watched with concern. Hotch saw them coming and stood up. He knew the brothers had Reid's best interests at heart but he was still the Unit Chief's responsibility. If there was something going on, he needed to know about it. As quietly and as calmly as they could, Jared and Hotch helped support Reid as they headed for the court room door. Jared hadn't thought to grab Reid's cane so they practically had to carry him, suspended between them. Hotch ignored the pain in his side. His only concern was getting Reid out of there.

"When you'd set up the farm house, did you see your sister put the shackles on the wall and the bed frame?"

"No. She must have come back and done that on her own. She left a few times to get more supplies so she had the chance. I didn't know about the ones in the cubby holes either. I didn't know they were there until she told me to secure the FBI agents in the basement and Rachel and the deputy upstairs," Doug said. The words rolled off his tongue like honey.

"What did you do to the agents and the others? Was it your idea or your sisters?"

"I just did what Mary told me to. I didn't want to but it was either that or she'd pull a gun on me. That's what it took the first time I did something to them," Doug said. Dave almost gagged when he realized the man was blushing with embarrassment. He was good. Angry, the eldest bounty hunter stood up and headed for the door. He wanted to know how Reid and his brother were making out.

As soon as they got through the door, Reid seemed to take a deep breath and recover himself slightly.

"I'm fine," Reid managed to get out. He still felt like he was going to throw up but the need wasn't urgent. He hated that Jared had seen his weakness and brought it to Hotch's attention. Feeling shy and insecure, he glanced over at his boss, expecting to see recrimination in Hotch's brown eyes. All he saw was fear and concern. That sapped the rest of the strength out of Reid's legs.

"Sit down," Jared said as he steered both men toward the bench just outside the doors. "Take a few deep breaths."

Sinking onto the bench beside Reid, Hotch gently forced his subordinate's head down between his knees. It would help with the nausea and hopefully with the images flooding the young man's eyes. Hotch knew that had to be what happened. Reid had been too calm, collected until Doug's testimony. Listening to him talk about the crash had brought bits and pieces of the impact back to Hotch as well.

Taking deep breaths, Reid managed to get hold of his stomach and slowly sat back up. Unconsciously, he was rubbing small circles over his thigh where the still mending wound was located under the fabric of his pants. Once he was upright again, colour began to return to Reid's face. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out on his brow and on his top lip. With his free hand, he wiped at it, ashamed of his weakness.

"Feeling better?" Jared asked as he plopped down on the bench beside Hotch. Despite all of Hotch's outward calm, Jared could see how this whole thing was affecting him. He could see it through his concern for his friend and subordinate. That simple fact gave him a great deal of sympathy for the man. Under that hard, intense exterior, he was all about his team.

"Yeah," Reid breathed as he laid his head back against the wall and took more deep breaths. It helped to still his mind as well as the last remnants of his upset stomach. The images were thrust into the back of his mind. He was tired of feeling and looking weak, especially in front of Hotch.

"Do you want to stay out here?" Hotch asked. He was itching to know what else the degenerate on the stand was saying. Again, it was a lot like watching a train wreck. It was hard to pull your eyes away from it.

"No, I'll be fine. Just give me another minute," Reid said. The hallway felt so much cooler. It too was helping him to gain control over his mind and body. Closing his eyes, Reid built his mental defences again, preparing to enter the court room.

"You don't have to go back in there," Jared said. He was watching the people walking around the hallway. He knew Reid didn't need him staring at him. The younger man needed his space.

"I know," Reid breathed. His brow furrowed as he considered the possibilities. Blowing out a long breath, he ran his fingers over his face to wipe the sweat away. "Okay. I'm okay."

"You know, it's all right if you aren't okay with this Spencer. He's making a mockery of the criminal justice system that we've both dedicated our lives to uphold. I'm not okay with it but there isn't a lot we can do about it at the moment. We have to depend on Ryan to do his job and show what a sham Doug's testimony is. If you don't want to listen to it, we can let you know when he's done," Hotch said as he turned toward the younger man. The urge to give Reid a hug passed over him. He knew Reid might not appreciate it much. He wasn't really a touchy/feely kind of person. But Hotch gave in to it, slid an arm across Reid's shoulders and pulled him toward him.

At first Reid stiffened, the inappropriateness of the action between Unit Chief and subordinate flashing through his mind. Then he relaxed into the grip. This was Hotch, more than just his boss or his friend. And it was exactly what Spencer needed at the moment. Tentatively, he slipped his arms around Hotch's torso. The awkwardness Reid had always imagined would be there was absent. "We're going to get through this," Hotch murmured into Reid's chestnut, wavy hair.

"I know," Reid responded as he respectfully pulled away. Hotch had become the father he'd never really had. After Gideon had left Reid had floundered for a while but Hotch had taken Jason's place. As intelligent and self-sufficient as Reid liked to think he was, there were still times when it just felt good to get a hug from someone who loved him. "Let's go back in."

OOOOO

"How did your sister die?" the defence lawyer was asking as the trio came back into the court room and resumed their seats. Reid and Hotch were both relieved to realize that they'd missed the testimony of what Doug had done to them, Rachel and Cullen.

"Rachel shot her," Doug stated simply. He didn't want to talk about this. He hated Rachel for what she'd done. His sister didn't deserve to die. No matter what she did. She was his sister. She could do no wrong in his eyes. A crack appeared in the mask he'd been wearing thus far and anger burned brightly.

"You're upset by that of course, she was your sister, but was Rachel right to believe that her life and the lives of the two FBI agents were in danger?" The defence lawyer had had to fight tooth and nail to get Doug to agree to this line of questioning. He too could see the cracks and knew he had to hurry.

"Yes," Doug grated out between clenched teeth. He hated having to say that. Still unable to hide his anger, he looked over at the agents, rage burning brightly in his dark eyes.

"Ok. Thank you Mr. West," the defence attorney said. Turning toward the judge he continued. "No more questions for this witness, your honour."

"Mr. Blue, your witness," the judge said, looking over at the prosecution table.

Glancing over at the FBI agents, Ryan gained his feet and stepped toward the witness stand while the defence lawyer sat down.

"How are you doing, Mr. West? Do you need a break?" Ryan asked. He didn't really care how the man was doing but he also didn't want to appear to be abusing him by the jurors.

"I'm fine," Doug smiled as he took a quick sip of water from a bottle sitting in front of him.

"Good, good, glad to hear that. Now, Mr. West, I need to clarify a few things. You've stated that you had no idea what Mary had planned, that you were too frightened of her to ask. Come now, Doug. You're a big, strong man, certainly you weren't that intimidated by your 110 lb sister?" Ryan asked.

"You don't understand. The family I was raised in we respected our mother and our sisters. We did what they said, otherwise our dad would give us a smack or two. It was automatic," Doug tried to explain.

"Oh, okay, you were taught to 'respect' the women in your family. Is that why you found it acceptable to disrespect Rachel? Did it only extend to Rachel or did you touch and harass your sister too? Is that why you did it, because you felt you owed it to Mary after the hell you put her through while you were growing up?" Ryan said, his voice loud. He didn't bother to hide the revulsion on his face as he looked at the man in the witness stand.

"Objection! What transpired during their childhood is not relevant to this trial!" the defence attorney demanded as he surged out of his seat.

"I'm sorry, your honour, I'm just trying to figure out what 'respect' means to this witness, given his previous acts toward young girls," Ryan said.

"I was a kid too!" Doug shouted as he leaned forward in the seat, his face twisted in anger.

"Be quiet, Mr. West," the judge hissed. Sputtering, Doug collapsed back into the chair. "Objection overruled, Mr. Stewart. We will hear where the prosecution is going with this. I will instruct the jury, however, that these allegations have not been properly investigated and that the statute of limitations on child abuse has passed. This is for information purposes only. Do not allow it to cloud your judgement of the accused. Please continue, Mr. Blue."

"Yes, you were a kid too, Mr. West. But you were also six years older than Rachel, five years older than Mary. You were in a position of authority over the two of them. Is this how you usually use that sense of authority? To abuse those under your supervision?" Ryan had come up with this line of questioning while listening to Doug's testimony. He wasn't about to let it pass.

Doug sat quietly, the anger plain on his face. He barely squashed the urge to grab the lawyer and throttle him. No one talked to him like that. NO ONE! "I never touched her," he finally growled.

"I somehow doubt that Rachel would agree with that but I'll let it rest for now. During your earlier testimony you said you had no idea what Mary had planned. That she told you to ram the police vehicle just before it came into view. Why did you do it? You had to know that there were people inside of it, at least the person driving it? Did it make sense to you at all to risk killing or seriously maiming the occupants just because your sister told you to?"

"I didn't think about it. I didn't have time. She told me to step on the gas and I did," Doug defended himself.

"Oh, really?" Ryan said as he turned toward the jurors. "So, Mr. West, you were sitting in an idling car, your foot on the brake. When you received the call from your sister you automatically shifted your foot from the brake to the gas pedal. Is that what you're telling us?"

"Yes," Doug responded.

"How long were you sitting in the car, waiting for Mary's signal?" Ryan asked.

"Half an hour or so," Doug said after thinking about it for a moment. He wasn't sure where this was going but he knew he didn't like it.

"You sat there in an idling vehicle for half an hour with your foot on the brake. Hmm. When I'm sitting in an idling car, it only takes me a few minutes before I shift it into park. My leg and foot gets tired. How was yours?"

"It was fine," Doug said still eyeing the man with distrust.

"You didn't shift into park and take your foot off the brake?" Ryan turned from the jurors and slowly paced across to his table.

"Yeah, I suppose I did," Doug said after a moment.

"Oh, so you were sitting in the car with the engine idling in park and your foot off the brake. Or was the engine even running? A big vehicle like that there was a chance of running out of gas, wasn't there? I believe when the CSI's examined the wrecked vehicle there was less than a quarter of a tank of gas left in it," Ryan said, picking up a piece of paper from the table top.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," Doug said, his mind racing.

"Did you turn the vehicle off while you were waiting? That's something I would do if I was in a similar situation, waiting for someone to catch up with me," Ryan said as he turned back toward Doug.

"Okay, yeah, I put the damned thing in park and turned the engine off. I didn't know how long she was going to be and the stupid thing had burned more gas than I'd planned on just getting there," Doug finally admitted. He wasn't sure why he was telling the lawyer the truth. It was easier to lie about the broad strokes but harder to about the details. In his mind he was thinking of new and imaginative ways of how to deal with the lawyer. He was kind of cute too.

"Getting that vehicle going took a little bit more than just pressing on the gas pedal, didn't it?" Ryan said. "In fact, when Mary told you to hit the police car, you had to start the engine, press the gas pedal, shift it into gear and step on the gas. That isn't exactly the automatic reaction you're trying to portray."

"Do you have to think about it every time you get in your car and drive away?" Doug shot back. Glancing at the defence attorney and the scowl there, Doug settled back into his seat and carefully got control of his face but not his temper.

Ignoring the jab, Ryan continued on. "Once you had 'automatically' slammed into the police car, pushing it over 100 yards to a location where it couldn't be seen from the highway, you climbed out. Looking inside the crumpled vehicle at the bleeding and injured occupants, shouldn't your first reaction have been to call an ambulance? Instead, you again listen like the good big brother you were, to your sister who tells you to pull them out of there and throw them into the back of her SUV. Didn't you see the flaw in this logic? Did your conscious whisper to you at any time during this?"

"I didn't think. I was still shaken from the crash and moving on auto pilot. I just did what she told me to," Doug responded.

"That's what the soldiers at Auschwitz said," Ryan said, smiling sweetly at Doug. Something beyond anger burned in the man's brown eyes. It caused Ryan's blood to run cold through his veins. It also caused him to want to beat the crap out of him. "Was it also by Mary's directive that you raped Rachel?"

"I didn't rape her. She came on to me," Doug growled.

"When did she do that, exactly? While she was covered in blood from the men you'd run into and beaten?"

"Objection, your honour!" The defence attorney wasn't even sure why he objected other than the fact he didn't like the way that had sounded.

"Objection overruled," the judge responded. "Please continue."

"She said I could do it. That's not rape," Doug growled.

"Did she seem to be enjoying it?" Ryan asked. He'd turned to look at the agents. He could see the anger in their faces as well. But he had to ask.

"Of course she did," Doug said a satisfied grin on his face.

"Deputy Cullen has testified to the sounds he heard while you were raping Ms. Dunn. They were not sounds of pleasure. He said and I quote 'It sounded like she was fighting for all she was worth'."

"He was locked up in the cubby hole. He couldn't have heard things that well," Doug said.

"He was locked up in shackles thanks to you putting him there. Deputy Cullen is a 12 year veteran of the police force. He had no reason to lie to us and every reason to understand what he was hearing. Who do you honestly expect us to believe?" Ryan asked.

"Me. I was there," Doug growled.

"Yes, Mr. West, you were there, because you wanted to be, because you were enjoying what you were doing. You can place the blame on Mary all you want but she was physically incapable of making you do anything you didn't want to do. I'm finished with this witness, your honour," Ryan said as he turned and moved back to his table.

"Mr. Stewart, call your next witness," the judge instructed.

"The defence rests, your honour," Mr. Stewart said from his own table.

"You may step down, Mr. West. Given the lateness of the hour, we will adjourn for the day. We will reconvene at 9:30 am," the judge said as he pounded his gavel.


	35. Chapter 35

_Thanks as always for the reviews! This chapter gets a little off topic but it was what came out. Next chapter will be the end to this version of the story. Thank you all very much for sticking with me. This took longer than I'd ever intended. I hope you enjoy what came out of my mind! ;)_

_Susanne_

CHAPTERY THIRTY FIVE

"Your legal system sucks," Dave growled as they walked out of the court room. It had taken every ounce of will he possessed to keep from jumping the wooden barrier and whaling on Doug. The man was so damned smug and yet he was lying through his teeth the entire time.

"It's not over yet," Morgan responded. Those words had become a mantra to the agent. He had to believe that justice was going to be served. He had to. Otherwise other options kept playing through the back of his mind, options that included dragging Doug into a dark alley and beating him within an inch of his life.

"At least it's over for the day," Reid said quietly as he made his way down the aisle, his cane clomping loudly on the wooden floors. His hip and thigh were complaining loudly again. All he felt like doing was taking a couple of extra strength Tylenol and going to bed.

"How are you getting home, Agent Hotchner?" Jared asked as he followed behind the older man. Jared had noticed how tired Reid seemed to be, he figured Hotch wasn't in much better shape. There wasn't going to be any bowling tonight. Tonight they were going to build up their strength for the rest of this. They weren't in a sprint race, they were in a marathon. Endurance would get them through, not brief spurts of speed. Something Jared and Dave had learned from the bounty hunter business.

"A taxi," Hotch responded. He knew by the time testimony was done today he was going to be in no shape to drive. Besides, finding parking downtown wasn't a lot of fun either.

"I can give you a ride," Rossi suggested. He was worried about his friend. After everything he and Reid had gone through with the West siblings, they didn't have much for reserve energy. That was going to take time to build back up. What they needed was time. That was one thing he didn't think they were going to get. Strauss was all ready chomping on the bit for them to get back to work. The cases hadn't gone away and other peoples' lives were in danger.

"You live on the other side of the city, Dave. I'll take a taxi," Hotch said as he slipped his jacket on over top of his shirt. The weather was changing, it was getting colder. For some reason he seemed to feel the cold so much worse than he ever had before. It was like it was blowing right through into his soul.

"Are you sure?" Rossi asked. He wasn't willing to push the man. Hotch was an adult, he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. The last thing Rossi wanted to do was to erode the other man's confidence but indicating he thought otherwise.

"Positive," Hotch replied. The halls outside the court room were full of people heading home for the night. The BAU members and the brothers moved off to the side, to keep from getting run over.

"How about you?" Morgan asked, looking at Reid. Since using the cane, Reid was actually shorter than Morgan. It amused the hell out of him in a twisted sort of way. He was deeply grateful for the brothers. They were able to break through his barriers, to treat him like a real little brother without Reid having to worry about saving face. The brothers weren't his co-workers. As much as Morgan thought of them all as family, there was still that boundary between them. Above all other things, they worked together.

"We'll get him home," Doug said. He was leaning against the wall, watching the people. Absently he wondered how many of them had warrants out. This would be a good place to look. "That is if you can put up with us for another night."

"Ah, sure!" Reid responded, a small smile on his expressive lips. He ducked his head to hide his gratitude. The thought of going home alone really hadn't appealed to him. He knew he was going to have to do it eventually but it would be easier once Doug was permanently behind bars. "We might want to stop for food though I think we cleaned out the cupboards last night."

"No problem," Jared said. "You and I'll go shopping while Dave drives Agent Hotchner home."

"I'm perfectly capable of getting home myself," Hotch bristled.

"Yeah, we know. But I'll feel better knowing you're behind a locked door," Jared responded as he and Dave began directing the two agents toward the back door. Dave's muscle car was parked a short distance away. He'd planned ahead and didn't want Reid walking any further than necessary. There would be time for physical therapy later. Right now, getting through the day was the most important thing.

"Please, call me Hotch," Hotch said as he allowed himself to be led toward the exit. He glanced over his shoulder at Rossi, Emily and Morgan. There was an amused expression on all three faces. He knew however, that all three of them were going to call him some time in the evening to check to see how he was doing. Even J.J. and Garcia would be calling, as they had every night since the trial started.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," Dave responded as he held the door open. The man's intense, proper bearing kept him at a bit of a distance. The bounty hunter knew it was partly a defence mechanism but it still intimidated the hell out of him on a personal level. Hotch was very effective at his job.

OOOOO

Reid had never had that much fun at the local grocery story. Jared was like a little kid, picking up anything that piqued his interest. Most of the time after making some kind of a comment he'd put it down in favour for something much better for them but it was still fun to watch. He did, however, refuse to let Jared stick him in the body of the shopping cart, no matter how badly his hip and leg hurt. Instead, he hobbled up and down aisles.

After dropping Jared and Reid off at the front door of the grocery store, Dave drove out of the parking lot and made the turn toward where Hotch's apartment was located. Hotch was in the front seat beside him but had barely said two words since leaving the court house. Mostly he sat and stared out the passenger window, his eyes far away.

"So," Dave said. He found the silence oppressive, especially after listening to Jared and Reid all the way to the store. They'd been debating what to make for supper. Dave didn't personally care so long as it wasn't too weird. "How do you think the trial's going?"

"I'm not sure," Hotch responded, his eyes still directed outside the vehicle. It was easier to take his mind off things by watching other people go about their lives.

"Somehow I doubt that," Dave said as he kept his eyes on the road. "Reid says you used to be a prosecuting attorney. That means you have a pretty good idea of how this is going."

There was a long pause while Hotch turned toward the younger man and evaluated him. "We know the truth so we know what crap Doug is spewing out. From the stand point of the jury, it might seem plausible. Jurors 8 and 5 were nodding their heads in agreement with some of the things Doug said. Three of them were looking contemplative while the rest were almost angry toward him. Is that enough to get him found guilty? I honestly don't know."

"So, it's still up for grabs. The fact that you and Reid are FBI agents should stand for something," Doug said as he turned a corner. He was driving a little slower than normal, a little more cautious. The last thing he wanted was to be responsible for Hotch being injured in a car accident.

"I wasn't there while they were poling the jury pool. I don't know how many of them mistrust the government, how many might have been raised in a more radical house hold that makes them more likely to believe Doug, again I don't know," Hotch said as he turned to look out the window. It was dark and still cold. People were rushing to get home to their loved ones. Suddenly Hotch felt very much alone. Haley and Jack had gone to stay with her mother for a while during the trial. She hadn't wanted Jack to be exposed to any of it. While Hotch understood her reasoning, he really wanted to see his son.

"I think Ryan would have voted them off the jury," Dave said. "We have to trust him to do his job."

"I know," Hotch admitted, his head dropping to his hands that had wound up in his lap. Suddenly he didn't want to go home. "What did Reid and Jared decide they were making for supper?"

"God only knows. Want to try some?" Dave asked. He was all ready slowing down. There had to be a looser side to this man, otherwise he'd blast off into space. Damn but he was tightly wound.

"Sure, why not?"

OOOOO

The first time Dave saw Hotch smile, even slightly, he thought he was seeing things. Then it happened again. By the end of the evening, he even heard the man laugh. Wow, miracles do happen.

"Do you want to go home to your apartment?" Jared asked around 10 pm. Normally that would still be early but the trial was continuing bright and early. "Or Dave and I can sleep on the floor and you can have the couch."

The thought of sleeping on Reid's couch wasn't a particularly appealing one. Hotch glanced down at his wrinkled shirt, loose tie and wrinkled pants. He couldn't return to court looking like this in the morning.

"We can take you by your apartment first thing in the morning so you can get cleaned up," Jared added. It was the first time he'd seen the older man relax. He had the feeling he didn't really want to leave and wanted to give him every option available.

"I have an extra tooth brush," Reid added from his position in the one comfy chair in the living room.

"I don't know that it would be appropriate," Hotch responded.

"Who cares if it's 'appropriate'," Dave said. He'd gone into the kitchen and washed the dishes. He didn't cook so the dishes were his responsibility. "You're tired. Why drive half an hour across town when you can sleep right there?"

As if in answer, Hotch felt a twinge from his side. Sleeping on the couch wasn't going to do his battered body much good. Placing his hand over the stitch, Hotch tried to stretch it a little to loosen it up. Suddenly, he was exhausted. The idea of traveling to his apartment was beyond him.

"Okay," Hotch ceded. It would be better than spending the better part of the night wandering around his apartment like he had the night before. Hopefully with some company, he wouldn't have the dreams.

OOOOO

Partway through the night, Hotch's eyes flew open. Lying uncomfortably on the couch, taking a few quick breaths, it took him a heart beat or two to figure out where he was. Then he heard two more people breathing a short distance away. The brothers.

Carefully, so as not to pull his side or anything else that was aching at the moment, Hotch rolled onto his side, his back pressed against the back of the couch. Blinking, he scanned the room and tried to figure out what had awakened him. As sore as his side, etc was from sleeping on the lumpy couch, it wasn't bad enough to wake him, not given the exhausted state he'd been in when he closed his eyes.

Then he heard a strangled cry from the bedroom. Ignoring his aches and pains, Hotch pushed his body out of the couch. He padded through the living room toward the closed door leading to Reid's bedroom. Cracking it open, he glanced inside. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the gloom, then he saw Reid's thin body wound up in his sheets. He was lying on his side, his back toward Hotch. A small lamp on the bedside table created a small circle of light. Reid's face was within its radius.

As Hotch watched, Reid struggled with the sheets. Somehow during the night the lengths of fabric had wound around his ankles and around his body. Even sound asleep the young genius knew he was being restrained. He was pulling at the cloth but with the complete lack of coordination of a sleeping person, was unable to pull them out from under him. The panic on the younger man's face broke Hotch's heart. It was too similar to what he'd looked like while Henkel had had him.

Stepping into the room, Hotch made his way to the bed. Another strangled cry from Reid and he knew the kid was in the midst of a nightmare, he'd distinctly heard the name 'Doug'. Cautiously, the Unit Chief crept on the bed so he could reach Reid. Spencer was on the other side, still struggling and sobbing through gritted teeth.

"Reid!" Hotch hissed as he shook the thin shoulder. There was no response. Under his fingers, Hotch could feel Reid's muscles trembling. Gripping a little harder, he shook again. While his left hand tried to wake Reid, Hotch's right hand worked on the sheets. In the younger man's desperation, he'd wound the sheets pretty tight. Hotch wouldn't be surprised if his circulation was affected by it. "Reid!"

There was still no response. The shaking was getting worse, though. Desperately, Hotch shook harder with similar results. Reid's face was twisted in a grimace as he relived things, things that had happened to him, to Hotch and to Rachel. Sweat covered his face and neck. The shirt under Hotch's hand was damp too. Apparently the nightmare had been going on for a while.

A noise behind him drew Hotch's attention. Turning, he saw Jared standing at the doorway, Dave hovering behind him. "How long has this been going on?" Hotch asked.

"Pretty much every night we stay here," Jared answered honestly. Moving into the room, Jared moved to the other side of the bed and knelt beside it. From where he was he could see Reid's face perfectly. He looked so damned young and scared. Anger for the West siblings burned through him. Damn them to hell. "Reid."

As quickly and carefully as the two men could work, they tried to unwrap the sheets from Reid's thin frame. Between the two of them they nearly managed it before Reid's body went stiff. Through clenched teeth, Spencer's breath exploded in and out of his lungs.

"Spencer!" Hotch called loudly. He caught hold of the younger man's shoulder and rolled him onto his back. Reid's face was a mask of pain. It caused a similar pain for Hotch just looking at it. "Spencer!"

With a heaving gasp, Reid's eyes flew open. His brown eyes searched the room frantically, his head turning this way and that, blinking rapidly in the light from the lamp. Hotch was immediately struck by how young and scared his youngest member seemed in that instant. Taking a deep breath himself, Hotch caught hold of Reid's head in both of his hands and forced him to look at him.

"Reid. You're all right, it was just a dream," Hotch said in a low, soothing voice. Reid's breathing was still ragged while he tried to recover from the fear. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Damn he wished Hotch hadn't been here to see this.

"Yeah, I know," Reid said, trying to recover faster than his body would allow. "I'm fine."

"I doubt that," Hotch responded. He removed his right hand from Reid's face but his left hand remained. "After everything that's happened in the last few months, it's okay to have nightmares."

"I'm fine," Reid parroted, trying to pull away from his boss. His face used to be flushed with exertion, now it was flushed with embarrassment. He glanced at Jared and Dave by the door. The blush deepened exponentially. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine," Hotch said, giving Jared a meaningful look as the youngest bounty hunter stood up. Quietly, Jared walked over to the door, ushered Dave through the exit and shut the door. Whatever was going to happen within the bedroom walls was going to stay within those walls. It was none of their business.

"I don't think either of us are," Hotch continued once they were alone. He'd been kneeling on the bed but his side began to protest the longer he stayed that way. Frustrated by his weakness, Hotch gingerly straightened his limbs out and lay on the bed beside Reid. His once concession was to lie on his left side so he could talk to the younger man face to face. He braced his head on his left hand. "We've been through hell and back, Spencer. It's only natural for there to be after effects. How long have you been having the nightmares?"

"Since the hospital," Reid said after a few minutes of staring at his hands that were resting on his stomach. It really kind of freaked him out to have Hotch lying on the bed beside him. It was one circumstance he never thought he'd have to deal with.

"What are they about?" Hotch continued. Reid wouldn't look at him. Hotch could see that he was still deeply embarrassed by the whole thing. It must be excruciating for the younger man to have his boss witness what he'd just been through. For a split second it was almost like talking to Jack after he'd had a nightmare. The comparison wasn't lost on him.

"Doug," Reid said quietly. He hated to admit just how very intimidating it had been for him to almost be raped by the guy. He had no delusions he knew that was where Doug's attentions were going. The fact that Rachel had allowed him to have sex with her to help diffuse the situation only made him feel worse.

"I've been having nightmares too," Hotch admitted. He suddenly found himself playing with the bottom sheet of Reid's bed. Big strong FBI agent or not, he was having trouble talking about this too. "At first they were about what Doug intended to do to you and the fact that I couldn't stop him. After Rachel's testimony they changed. Now I dream about what he did to her."

Reid's head turned toward his boss. The fact that Hotch's nightmares were about Reid and not about himself was so damned Hotch. Of course Hotch would think about his subordinate, his friend before he would think about himself. A small smile played on the corners of Reid's mouth. Some things never change.

"I guess I'll be spending a lot of time with Dr. Heinz," Reid said. He looked closely at Hotch. The light from the lamp was reflecting softly on the older man's face. He looked old. Much older than Reid ever remember seeing him. Even when Haley left him, Hotch had continued on without appearing to be phased much. This, however, had thrown him for a loop. The crack in Hotch's armour made Reid feel a little less pathetic.

"If that's what you need to do, then yes. There will be department mandated therapy sessions but the doctor is also always willing to meet agents for additional sessions as needed," Hotch said. His eye lids were beginning to droop. As much as he wanted to continue this conversation with Reid, his mind was trying to shut down. "I have a session next Friday."

"Do you think things will ever go back to the way they were?" Reid asked, his voice sounding small and vulnerable.

"No, Spencer, they won't. We're not the same people we were before we met the Wests," Hotch responded without thought. He'd often wondered the same thing and had finally come to this conclusion. Despite his and Reid's FBI training, despite everything they'd seen and done in their lives, what Mary and Doug had done to them stripped them of a layer of innocence they hadn't even known they had. There was no way to get it back.

"I'd like to be the same," Reid said. He'd turned his head away from his boss. Still, Hotch was able to see a single tear running down the side of his face.

"So would I, Reid," Hotch responded. A few minutes of silence followed as both men thought about what they'd said. Slowly, Hotch's head slid down his arm and rested on his bicep. As the silence continued, his eyes slammed shut. Finally thinking of something to say, Reid turned toward Hotch, his mouth open. It promptly closed again. Hotch was sound asleep. Reaching down, Reid pulled his blankets up over his still dressed boss. Feeling safer than he had in weeks, Reid rolled onto his left side, his back toward Hotch and promptly fell asleep as well.

OOOOO

"Hey, guys, it's time to get up!" Jared called as he opened the bedroom door. Poking his head inside, he was only mildly surprised to find the two FBI agents sound asleep. Hotch hadn't moved much but Reid had rolled over in his sleep. His head was resting under Hotch's chin and he was cuddled up against his boss's body, his arms wrapped around his own torso and his legs drawn up slightly.

As much as he hated to, Jared reached over, grasped one shoulder from each person and incessantly shook. Hotch woke up instantly, Reid was a second behind him. Both were uncomfortable with the fact that Jared had had to wake them and at the position he'd found them in.

"Rise and shine, guys. We have 45 minutes before we have to head over to Agent Hotchner's so he can get cleaned up," Jared said, trying to hide a smile. They'd both looked so damned cute. Definitely not the picture of the rough and tough FBI agents he'd come to expect. Knocking on the door jam to make sure they were awake, he turned and left the room, leaving the door open.

Out in the kitchen, the agents could hear Doug singing an AC/DC song. Unfortunately, singing wasn't one of his strong suits.

"Sorry," Reid said, scooting across the bed, deeply mortified. He tried to come up with some kind of an explanation but all that he was able to get out was a stream of stuttered words that made not a lot of sense.

"Its okay, Reid. We fell asleep. I think we both needed it," Hotch said, hiding his own discomfort. Climbing out from under the blankets, Hotch tried to stretch the kink out of his side but wasn't entirely successful. Leaving Reid to compose himself, Hotch headed for the bathroom. The day had begun.

OOOOO

The morning was spent listening to Ryan run through his expert psychological witnesses. Many were top of their field experts, all of which said that Doug knew exactly what he was doing. At the defence table Doug tried to hide his seething. He wasn't entirely successful.

In the front row of benches, the FBI agents and bounty hunters listened intently and watched the jurors. Some of them were hard to read. One second they seemed to believe what the doctors were telling them and then the next they seemed sceptical. It made trying to decide which verdict they would come back with difficult.

After waking up against Hotch's chest, Reid had sat as far from him as he could. He'd tried, anyway. Allowing Reid to sit first, Hotch had slid in beside him. He wanted to make sure his subordinate knew that there wasn't any strangeness going to be allowed between them. They'd talked and fallen asleep on the same bed. The fact that Reid had moved up against Hotch was more do to with the fact that he was warm than anything else. Reid liked to keep his apartment cool at night.

When they returned after lunch, Reid didn't bother to sit away. He knew it wouldn't help. Besides, thanks to Hotch's earlier actions, he'd felt the discomfort evaporate during the morning. The brothers had chosen to sit at the end of the pew as far from the aisle as possible. Reid had the feeling it was to keep Dave from storming over to the table and throttling Doug. The events of the night before hadn't done much to appease his anger toward the man.

After the fourth doctor had finished his testimony and the defence had tried to poke holes in his version of the world, Ryan stood up and faced the judge. "The prosecution rests, your honour."

"We'll hear closing arguments in the morning," the judge responded. With the bang of the gavel, the worst was over. The relief on the first bench was almost palatable. Maybe they'd all get a good night's sleep tonight.


	36. Chapter 36

_So, this is it. The end. Sob. No, not really. I love that I've actually started finishing my stories now that I post them here. I never used to. As you might have noticed I get easily distracted. Too many ideas are rampaging around my mind. But, this is what I came up with. I hope you like it!_

_Susanne_

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

The defence spoke first. The lawyer went to great pains to point out what their expert psychiatrists had come out with, that it wasn't Doug's fault. He expounded to great length about how until Doug's sister had come to him, angry at the death of her younger brother, he had taken great lengths to avoid people. He'd moved to an isolated farm, made it self sufficient so he only had to go to town occasionally. By the time he was done, Dave could almost feel sympathy for the man. Almost.

Sitting between the brothers, Reid tried to hide his irritation. Everything the man said was a lie. Doug had isolated himself because he knew what he was capable of doing. It was easier to hide out on his farm than to risk the compulsion, the need he felt being near other people. Absently, Reid's right leg jiggled up and down. His hands twisted in his lap. Silently, Jared reached down, stilling his leg and stopping his hands. This wasn't over yet.

Clearing his throat, Ryan stood up and began his own closing argument. He too cited his own experts, what they said about Doug's shattered personality. About the clear intent he showed by barrelling into the police car at high speed, ignoring what could have very easily been a fatal result. Doug's refusal to see what he'd done to Rachel as rape and what he'd done to the agents as abuse were also pointed out.

While he listened to the lawyer, Rossi scanned the jurors. They were all looking at the handsome lawyer while he made his case brilliantly. He was very good at his job, drawing the jurors to his side of the evidence. Watching the men and women's faces, Rossi decided that at least half of them were on their side. He just hoped the others would be able to convince the doubters. Then Ryan was finished.

"You've been presented with both sides of this case. You have been instructed on what to consider and what not to. It is now up to you, a jury of the defendant's peers. Please begin your deliberations," the judge said. The jurors were silently led out of the room. Now the waiting began.

OOOOO

Not sure of where else to go, the group needed for the cafe again. It was close and afforded coffee, a much needed beverage. Filing into the sitting area, Dave automatically headed for the back wall. He knew Reid and probably Hotch would feel better having the wall to their backs. He stood aside and allowed Reid and his cane to slip by him and take the chair. Then he settled in the one beside the younger man.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Doug asked as Hotch took a chair on the other side of Reid. The young profiler had been particularly quiet today. Hotch wasn't sure if it was because this was almost over or because of what had happened the day before.

"As long as necessary," Hotch replied cryptically. Now that it had gone to the jury, the Unit Chief was all ready feeling the need to return to work. As much as he'd like to believe otherwise, the entire time the BAU has spent on this case, others were piling up. Garcia and J.J. could only do so much. The rest of the team was needed too.

"That's reassuring," Jared said as he sat down beside his brother. He glanced at Rossi and Morgan who had stopped at the door, out of ear shot. "They're going back to work, right?"

"Probably," Reid said as he too watched his cohorts. Emily came in behind them, her cell to her ear. "I can't remember when we were out of commission this long."

"The other teams are picking up some of the slack but we do need to get back into the swing of things. I know J.J. has three cases that need our attention," Hotch stated. The other three members of the BAU had concluded their conference and were walking to the table. Hotch and Reid could see what was on their mind without them saying anything. "How bad is it?"

"Seven victims so far with another two likely within the week," Emily said. She was looking at her PDA as J.J. sent her more information. "We need to get back to the office."

"Let's go," Hotch replied, getting up from his chair. He glanced over at Reid. He wasn't convinced the younger profiler was ready to go back to work. It wasn't just Doug it was the cane and what happened on the last case.

"Strauss wants you and Reid to stay here until the verdict is reached. The rest of us will work the case," Emily said. The anxiety on her face was so obvious. She didn't want to be the one to tell their boss this but she stood her ground anyway.

"We can do that in the bull pen as well as in this cafe," Reid responded. He hated being left behind. From the expression in Hotch's eyes, he knew his boss was having doubts about his ability to put all of this behind him. For a while there, Reid wasn't sure himself. Now he was. "Ryan has our cell phone number. He'll let us know when the verdict comes in. If we can't come back to the court house, he can tell us what it is over the phone."

"Well, there are a couple of bounties in the area we were going to look at," Dave said. He knew Reid needed to get back to his life and that they did to. The fact that none of them were willing to spend any more of their lives concentrating on Doug and Mary was also kind of therapeutic. The Wests had wasted enough of their time. "Ryan has our cell phone number as well. Let's get the hell out of here."

The waitress came up, ready to take their order. Absently, Hotch put a few dollars on the table. "Sorry, we won't be needing anything," he said as he stood back up.

"Are you sure about this?" Jared asked as he took Reid a little to the side. He was scared for the kid. He wanted to believe that he was going to be fine without them there, sleeping in his apartment but he'd seen too many nightmares. He knew Reid had survived just fine before the two of them were introduced under the worst possible circumstances but he'd come to think of him as the little brother he'd never had. It was hard to not be protective.

"Yeah, it's time to think about something else. I need to get back to work, so do you and Dave. You have a key if you need a place to stay, any time," Reid replied. He absently tapped his cane against his good leg. He hated the thought of the brothers heading back to work, leaving him alone in his apartment. It was time, though. He needed to stand on his own two feet.

"Okay," Jared said. Swallowing his misgivings, Jared moved back to the others. They all had to get on with their lives, even him and Dave. The trial was over. It was out of their hands, they had to let go. "It's been a slice, guys but there are bounties out there that need to be found. We'll see you the next time we're in town."

"Thank you," Reid said, his head dropping to hide his discomfort. He didn't like this feeling of dependence. He hadn't depended on anyone since his dad left him and his Mom, not even his Mom. Reid began to stutter, trying to tell the brothers what they'd meant to him.

"It's okay, kid. This isn't good bye. We'll be back. Maybe even tonight, depends on how the hunt goes. You're not getting rid of us now," Dave said, talking over the younger man's abortive attempts. Before he turned to walk away, he laid a hand on Reid's nearest shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You guys take care."

"We'll see you soon, Spencer. I'll keep in touch," Jared promised the younger man as he gave him a quick hug. Then the brothers were gone out the door.

"I have an SUV parked outside," Emily prompted. J.J. had sent her two texts while the brothers had said their good byes. Things weren't improving. They needed to get back at it, now.

"Let's go," Hotch said. Rossi, Derek and Emily turned to leave the restaurant. Hotch waited for Reid and then followed behind him. He wasn't going to let the kid out of his sight. It was an unreasoned response but at the moment, it was the best plan he had. Silently, the five BAU members climbed into the SUV.

OOOOO

The briefing was, well, brief. There was someone killing hunters up in Washington State. Every weekend for the last four weeks someone had hunted down and killed pairs of hunters. The only reason there had been seven victims so far was that the eighth one from the past weekend had survived. It wasn't until the local PD managed to question the survivor that they began to put the pieces together.

"Wheels up in 30 minutes," Hotch stated after seeing the files. He'd fallen back into old habits quickly. He'd forgotten for a split second that the question of whether he was in charge of the team hadn't been answered yet. As if to prove the point, Strauss opened the door to the conference room and nodded to the dark haired man.

"May I speak to you for a moment, outside?" Strauss asked, glancing at Reid before turning her attention back to Hotch.

"Get ready," Hotch ordered his staff as he turned to leave the room. Irregardless as to whether or not he was still in charge, the deaths in Washington State needed to be dealt with.

"You and Dr. Reid haven't been cleared to return to work," Strauss said as soon as they were alone in the hallway. The others had filed past, including Reid, still leaning heavily on his cane.

"We were cleared to go out in the field in the last case," Hotch responded. He knew Strauss was trying to get his goat. He refused to let that happen, it would only add more fuel to the fire.

"Yes, and look what happened to Dr. Reid," Strauss said. The bruises on the thin doctor's face had only begun to fade. It gave him a rather gruesome appearance.

"Those were extraordinary circumstances. The chances of an unsub we are profiling actually targeting people on my team is extremely rare," Hotch shot back. "Out of all the cases we've handled, only a few of them ever became personal"

"The chances of that happening seem to be increasing with each passing year your team is together," Strauss said.

"We've developed enemies. Any group of people who work together in the law enforcement professions tend to accumulate them," Hotch said. "If you insist, Reid and I can stay and help work the case from here but we are working it."

"Are you sure you're ready for this? Are you sure he's ready?" Strauss pushed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, there's only one way to find out," Hotch responded.

"I'd prefer it if at least Dr. Reid stayed here. You haven't heard the verdict. If the jurors come back with 'not guilty', how is that going to affect him, affect you?"

"It would be better if we kept busy. Sitting around at home, waiting isn't going to do either of us any good."

"Fine. So long as you both participate in your required psychiatric evaluations," Strauss said. Giving Hotch a final glance, she turned and walked down the hall toward her office.

OOOOO

It took two hours after they'd climbed into the jet for the tower to give them clearance. There was a weather system moving through the part of Washington they were planning to land in, delaying them. That left the five BAU members with nothing to do but go over the case files. Strumming his fingers on the arm of his seat, Hotch tried to keep his mind on the file sitting open on his lap. He was so tense, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell rang in his pocket. Taking it out, he glanced at the display before thumbing the speaker phone.

"Agent Hotchner, is Dr. Reid with you?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, we're on board our jet. We need to get back to work," Hotch responded, looking around at the worried faces of his colleagues. "Have they reached a verdict?"

"Yeah, I was phoning to see if you wanted to be here in person but I guess that's out of the question," Ryan said. Dimly behind him, Hotch could make out the sounds of the court room as spectators and jurors resuming their seats.

"Put us on speaker phone, we'll hear it as it happens," Hotch responded. He noticed while pretending to not notice that J.J. moved a little closer to Reid. The young profiler was sitting in the next row of seats, facing Hotch. J.J. was sitting beside him. She leaned a little closer to Reid's side, one hand coming down on Reid's left arm.

"Okay. Just stay quiet. The judge might not appreciate being broadcast," Ryan said as they heard him put his phone down on the wooden table top. Once everyone was seated, the judge turned toward the jury box. The jury foreperson stood up.

"Have you reached a verdict?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honour, we have," the middle aged woman said.

"Will the accused please stand up," the judge said, indicating Doug. A chair scraped as the eldest West brother stood up.

"On four counts of attempted murder, how does the jury find?" the judge asked.

"Guilty," the woman responded, her voice strong. Uproar from the West brothers could be heard from the other side of the room.

"Quiet!!" the judge ordered, banging his gavel on his bench. When order was restored, he moved on to the next set of charges. "On four counts of unlawful confinement, how does the jury find?"

"Guilty, your honour," the woman responded. The brothers knew better than to yell again but even through the phone the animosity was palatable.

"On four counts of assault causing bodily harm, how does the jury find?"

"Guilty, your honour," the forewoman said.

"Thank you very much for your service, you are excused. The sentencing will take place one month from today. The defendant will be remanded in custody until that time," the judge responded, banging his gavel for the last time.

There was a stunned silence in the jet, followed shortly by a whoop from Morgan. "Yeah! You did it!"

For the first time in months, Reid felt like he could breathe. With a huge sigh, he felt the tension of being scared of Mary popping up at any moment, the tension of Doug possibly getting away with it slowly evaporate. Closing his eyes momentarily, he allowed his chin to fall to his chest as relief flowed through him. It was over, as over as it was going to get for him, for Hotch, for the others.

"Are you all right?" J.J. asked Reid quietly. Just then the pilot announced that they were clear for takeoff. Hotch thanked Ryan and told him they'd be in touch when they got back in town before breaking the connection.

"Yeah, I am," Reid answered, bringing his head up again. He looked over Emily's head to Hotch. There was relief in his boss's brown eyes too. With a subtle nod at Reid, Hotch pocketed his cell and picked up the file with renewed energy. "I think we both are."

With a roar of the engines, the jet taxied down the runway. The BAU team was off again, to do what they did to keep American citizens safe. There would still be things that popped up from time to time, like Reid and Hotch's nightmares, but they were together. Nothing else really mattered.

OOOOO

ONE MONTH LATER

For the first time in weeks the BAU team was in town. All five members crowded in the first bench behind the prosecution table. Doug was sitting at the defence table. The man looked older, so did his brothers sitting behind him.

"I've carefully considered the evidence in this case. Douglas West, you were found guilty on all charges by a jury of your peers. The minimum sentence based on those charges would be twenty years," the judge said. A murmur rode through the visitors in the gallery. "But, not only were your victims innocent of wrong doing, two of them were FBI agents and one a member of local law enforcement. Your obvious complete lack of concern for established authority speaks to how truly dangerous you would be if you were ever allowed back into the general public. As a result, I am sentencing you to three life sentences to run consecutively with an additional twenty years."

As the judge banged his gavel, the West brothers erupted. It took only a few moments for the bailiffs to contain them and lead them out of the court room. A few seconds later, Doug was led out of the court room, his orange jumpsuit garish and his chains clanking.

"He's not getting out," Ryan said as he turned to the agents. The brothers were there too. All of them looked much better than the last time he'd seen them. Even Dr. Reid had some colour back in his lean face.

Standing up, Morgan turned to the others. "Now it's time to party," he said a huge grin on his face. "Who's up for bowling?"

THE END

_Well, that's that. It seemed like the right place to stop. I hope you enjoyed this story. I've had a lot of fun writing it. I'll begin "The Scavengers" in about a week. I need to get some of my other stories under control. Writing 5 stories at once is harder than I thought!_

_Thank you very much for sticking with me. This took longer than I'd intended but it sure was fun. Thank you very much to all of you who took the time to review. You absolutely rock!!_

_Bye for now._

_Susanne_


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